Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Public procurement definition

What does Public procurement mean? Public procurement is the regulated purchase of goods, services and works by public sector “contracting authorities” through competitive tendering. The term is used generically in practice and is also defined across procurement legislation. In England and Wales and Northern Ireland, the principal regime is the Procurement Act 2023 (supplemented in sectors such as health by the Provider Selection Regime). Above-threshold contracts must be advertised on Find a Tender, run under permitted procedures, and awarded in line with the core principles of transparency, equal treatment and proportionality, including applicable non-discrimination duties, with robust record-keeping and conflict management. Utilities, concessions and defence procurement...

PCR 2015 public procurement procedures, below-threshold and light-touch regimes, pre-market engagement, guidance and compliance pitfalls; with note on the Procurement Act 2023

Published by a LexisNexis Public Law expert

Practice notes

STOP PRESS:

From 24 February 2025, the principal provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023) are in effect. Procurements launched on or after that date must follow PA 2023, while those initiated under the earlier regimes must continue to be procured and overseen under those rules, namely:

Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015)
Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016
Concession Regulations 2016
Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011

See Practice Note: Key Implications of the Procurement Act 2023 for Construction Lawyers.

PCR 2015 as assimilated law

PCR 2015 are EU-derived domestic legislation and therefore constitute assimilated law under sections 2 and 6 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. For practical guidance on the status and construction of assimilated law, see Practice Note: Assimilated law.

Where a contracting Authority lets a public contract above the relevant financial threshold, it must adopt one of the permitted procurement procedures in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, unless an exemption applies. This Practice Note outlines the principal procedures for authorities letting works, supplies, or services under PCR 2015, and is also helpful for bidders so they can understand how...

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Katherine Calder

DAC Beachcroft

Katherine is a Partner at DAC Beachcroft and heads the firm's Public Procurement Law team and chairs its Infrastructure & Projects group. Katherine has over 20 years’ experience of advising public bodies, utilities and the private sector on public procurement issues. Katherine has advised upon the procurement issues inherent within a wide variety of PPPs, PFIs, regeneration and outsourcing projects, across sectors and covering most aspects of local and national public infrastructure; from new homes, schools, energy facilities, roads to IT projects.Highlights over her career include numerous education, waste and housing PPPs/PFIs; the 2012 Olympic Games; the Thames Tideway Tunnel super-sewer; high profile defence agreements; the complex alliances and other significant partnerships for the National Highways, the Metropolitan Police, Thames Water, Transport for London, the Greater London Authority and many central government departments. She also advises private sector bidders on how to do their very best in...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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