Next steps for public procurement in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

The agenda will look at implementation of the Procurement Act 2023 - in force since February 2025 - and the initiative recently announced under the new Prime Minister to focus procurement rules on youth job creation and tackling local skills gaps. Areas for discussion include opportunities for small businesses and the voluntary sector, prompt payment and supply chain resilience, competition and commercial capability, and the future direction of policy on green and social targets.

It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to assess operation of the Procurement Act, and the Government's wider programme of procurement reform, including the March 2026 consultation response on Public Procurement: Growing British Industry, Jobs and Skills, alongside a package of measures and a Contract Management Playbook.

Delegates will consider priorities for embedding the new legislative requirements in practice, alongside wider objectives around supporting economic growth, strengthening domestic supply chains and increasing opportunities for UK businesses through public procurement, as well as the future direction of policy on social value and domestic sourcing. Sessions will explore how procurement teams can assess competing priorities when making award decisions, including the improved weighting given to job creation benefits alongside cost considerations, and the challenges of developing consistent approaches across different contracting authorities.

Procurement reform & domestic sourcing

The agenda will examine recent policy developments relating to procurement priorities across government, including new measures to prioritise British capability in areas such as shipbuilding, steel, artificial intelligence and energy infrastructure, and how domestic sourcing objectives can be balanced alongside open competition and the UK's international trade commitments.

Areas for discussion include:

• implementation: embedding the Procurement Act across contracting authorities - interpreting guidance and the new National Procurement Policy Statement - managing transition to new obligations
• industrial strategy: prioritising British capability across key sectors - alignment with the Modern Industrial Strategy and national objectives - optimising meaningful opportunities for UK suppliers
• domestic sourcing: defining and measuring British capability in complex international supply chains - balancing preference for domestic suppliers with non-discrimination rules in UK trade agreements

Competition & market engagement

Delegates will discuss the operation of procurement markets and delivery across contracting authorities, including implications of the CMA’s May 2026 Civil Engineering Market Study recommendations to tackle long-standing delivery issues in road and rail infrastructure.

Discussion will consider:

• market reform: CMA's recommendations on road and rail procurement - strategic ownership and credible long-term project pipelines - mandatory use of the Construction Playbook and standardised designs
• commercial capability: improving procurement processes, market engagement and commercial expertise - consistency, transparency and confidence across contracting authorities
• investment and innovation: supporting long-term investment, innovation and supply chain resilience - improving the visibility of future infrastructure demand

Supply chain resilience, SMEs & social value

The conference will also assess wider issues affecting procurement policy, suppliers, small businesses and the third sector, including new departmental targets for direct spending with SMEs, the extension of spend targets to VCSEs, new requirements for public spending to support British jobs, skills and employment opportunities, prompt payment reform through the Commercial Payments Bill, and engagement with civil society following establishment of the Civil Society Council.

Delegates will consider how these evolving objectives will shape approaches to supplier engagement, including the role of public contracts in supporting local economic development, workforce opportunities and supply chain resilience.

Areas for discussion include:

• SME access:
• widening participation and reducing barriers for smaller suppliers - progress against new SME and VCSE spend targets
• whether revised SME targets can address longstanding barriers, procurement complexity, framework access and the costs of bidding for public contracts
• social value:
• revised definition of social value in procurement - the Government’s increased focus on jobs, skills and employment outcomes within public contracts
• strengthening community benefits and support for the voluntary and community sector - balancing with economic growth and competition
• prompt payment: measures in the Commercial Payments Bill - 60-day cap on payment terms - mandatory late-payment interest - stronger Small Business Commissioner powers
• late payment monitoring: challenges around tracking compliance - ensuring fair payment throughout complex supply chains
• civil society: engagement following the Civil Society Council - reducing barriers to civil society participation in procurement - collaboration between government, suppliers and the voluntary sector

Capacity building & workforce support

Further sessions will consider practical implications of the new legislative requirements under the Procurement Act, including expectations around transparency, contract performance and supplier management, and how contracting authorities can build the systems, skills and organisational capability needed for effective implementation.

Areas for discussion:

• capability: workforce skills and organisational capacity for increasingly strategic procurement - challenges around adapting internal processes and governance arrangements
• transparency and data: new payment and performance reporting obligations - contract management and supplier performance monitoring
• digital and AI: the role of digital procurement tools and AI in improving efficiency - data systems and the Central Digital Platform