Procurement Act 2023 Communities of Practice education programme launched

The Government Commercial Function (GCF) has launched a new Communities of Practice (CoP) programme that can help procurement practitioners across the public sector prepare for upcoming changes as a result of the Procurement Act 2023.?

The Act is due to take effect on 28 October 2024, and will provide an overhaul of the procurement regulations that govern how the UK public sector spends money.?

These new CoP are a comprehensive new learning and development programme providing a range of dedicated learning approaches to support and prepare those operating within the new regulations, including procurement, commissioning and commercial practitioners.

The CoP are open to all staff whose main role is to run full or parts of tenders, or let contracts, or procurement and commercial professionals whose main role is to manage suppliers or contracts.

The aim of the CoP is to:

• foster a strong community of commercial/procurement professionals in the public sector to elevate procurement capabilities
• support existing locally-managed commercial/procurement communities of practice across organisations and sectors
• provide a platform enabling peer support and best practice creation and sharing
• foster the discussions that identify trends, challenges, and risks in procurement practices
• encourage the application of best practices within the new Act by procurement, commercial, and commissioning professionals
• identify opportunities for continuous improvement in procurement practices within organisations, sectors, or regions

A dedicated CoP homepage has been created and you can access it now via the Government Commercial College (GCC) to find dedicated sections on all aspects of the new regime.

Remember, the Cabinet Office is leading a readiness programme based on the incoming regulations called Transforming Public Procurement (TPP), of which the learning and development programme forms a part. To find more detailed information on how to prepare for the implementation of the regime, visit the Cabinet Office Transforming Public Procurement webpage.