A practical guide / Small suppliers
Procurement Act 2023: what it means for small suppliers
The Procurement Act changes how small suppliers find contracts, share company details and get paid. Start by setting up your Find a Tender details. Then use a bid/no-bid checklist to decide which jobs deserve a response.
GOV.UK’s supplier guide dates the new regime from 24 February 2025. The sections below link the main changes to a draft bid plan. Use AI to turn the tender requirements and your records into an answer outline. Keep each claim tied to proof your business can show.
Use the bid promptCheck fit, evidence and delivery before writing the bid.
Use notices to plan the bid effort
The enhanced Find a Tender service is the central digital platform. GOV.UK describes search, alerts and notices across the life of a contract, plus reusable supplier details. Use these features to follow work that fits your services.
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In your bid log, record buyer, notice ID, work required, lot, timing and file link. Distinguish an early notice from a live bid deadline. Ask a colleague to review the fit before assigning a writer. GOV.UK’s supplier guide also describes a competitive flexible procedure. Read the process stated for each bid so you know its stages.
Read the source: GOV.UK: Procurement Act short guide for suppliers; GOV.UK: central digital platform factsheet
Set up your supplier details and keep them current
The central digital platform stores core company details to share for multiple bids. Submit your bid response through the buyer’s portal, following the link and instructions in the notice.
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Assign someone to keep your company details current. Keep proof of the details you declare and a list of who can manage the account. For each bid, note the portal, deadline, route for questions and supplier data to share. Keep those steps in the same work plan as the draft answers.
Read the source: GOV.UK: central digital platform factsheet
Read the payment terms before choosing to bid
The Act implies 30-day payment terms into most public contracts and relevant public subcontracts. GOV.UK explains the conditions and exceptions, including invalid or disputed invoices and some contract types. Check the terms and invoice rules for the job before planning cash flow.
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Use an invoice checklist: required content, purchase order, where to send it, proof of work done and dispute contact. Ask the contract lead to assess funding needed while work is in progress. Include that in the price review, alongside startup costs and the staff needed to do the work.
Read the source: GOV.UK: electronic invoicing and payment guidance
Worked example
A bid/no-bid checklist for a maintenance supplier
Example with made-up details: a building services maintenance tender has two lots. Your team covers the first lot’s area and holds the requested service records. The second lot’s response times would require more engineers.
Use these review headings: service and area fit; mandatory conditions; proof available; staff and skills; startup work; price and margin; payment and cash flow; bid effort; open questions; owner’s decision. For each heading, record proof, a question and an owner. Here, the owner might explore lot one and decline lot two. Base that choice on the work and resources needed, as well as the contract value.
Illustrative example.
Opportunity
Read the notice and submission route.
Decision sheet
Assess evidence, capacity and commercials.
Bid outline
Assign supported answers to contributors.
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Prepare a bid decision before drafting answers
Add a public notice, permitted tender extracts and a sample supplier profile to this prompt.
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Help a small building services firm assess this tender. Extract the lots, scope, mandatory conditions, deadlines, scoring headings and bid portal instructions. Cite the given file and section for each point.
Compare the tender with our profile. Prepare a bid/no-bid sheet covering fit, proof, skills, startup work, price, cash flow and bid effort. Flag questions for the buyer and choices for our owner.
For a lot we choose to pursue, map each scoring heading to a source record and a named writer. List claims that still need proof. Finish with a bid plan working back from the deadline. Leave the final decision and response with the business owner.
A public example of reducing proposal work
Remote Humans’ published client workflow covers proposal writing and report compilation. Automated reporting brought information together across business systems, while weekly proposal preparation dropped from 10 hours to 45 minutes.
For a small supplier, the useful link is the time spent gathering information and preparing a response each time a bid comes in.
Read the source: Public result: weekly proposal preparation
Keep bid claims accurate and follow AI disclosure rules
Cabinet Office PPN 017 applies to central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies. It covers asking suppliers about AI use in bids and controls on confidential tender data. Read the AI disclosure question in the bid pack and answer it accurately.
Use authorised tools and material. Check each claim and link certificates and case studies to proof. Confirm which procurement regime applies to the job. Ask an adviser about unclear terms, or use the buyer’s formal route for questions. Submit after the owner has approved the claims, price and promises about how the work will be done.
Read the source: Cabinet Office: PPN 017, transparency of AI use
Questions about this task
Do we submit the whole bid through Find a Tender?
GOV.UK’s platform factsheet distinguishes core supplier data from the bid response. Follow the notice to the buyer’s portal, as explained in the supplier details section above.
What is a clear AI output before we bid?
Request a checklist with source sections, gaps in proof and a bid review sheet. Use those to decide whether to respond before writing the bid.