The UK government have announced their intention to delay the commencement of the new procurement regime under the Procurement Act. The proposed new date for go-live which will apply to all contracting authorities covered by the Act (including Welsh contracting authorities) will be 24 February 2025.
What does this mean for Welsh stakeholders?
We would like to thank Welsh stakeholders for all of the work you have been doing to prepare for the previous go-live date of October this year. We hope this short delay will provide more time for Welsh contracting authorities to develop and implement organisational change strategies associated with the reforms and will enable suppliers to familiarise themselves further with the new regime.
What should I do now?
Welsh contracting authorities should continue to prioritise and develop their implementation plans for these procurement reforms. Welsh Government’s Commercial Procurement team has developed a ‘pre-implementation checklist’ and a document entitled “Preparing for new procurement legislation in Wales” to assist Welsh contracting authorities with their preparations.
Colleagues across the Welsh public sector should also continue to complete the broad range of training that is available to help users navigate the new regime. The Welsh Government’s eLearning supplements the UK Government’s core training, and is aimed at anyone within the Welsh public sector that needs to understand the new procurement legislative landscape in Wales. Further details can be found here.
A wide range of specific guidance documents continued to be developed to help Welsh contracting authorities prepare for the new procurement regime.