Procurement Act & Delta – FAQs for Buyers

What is the key information I need to be aware of?

Official name of the Act is ‘Procurement Act 2023’.
Go live date is 24^th February 2025.
Act includes two main changes which form the Central Digital Platform (CDP):
- Buyer/supplier registration
- New notices

What does this mean for Delta?

Delta has been enhanced to ensure the system is ready for 24th February 2025. This includes the addition of new notices, the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) and the ability to connect with the CDP for both buyers and suppliers.

Buyer Registration

Do I as a buyer need to do anything with the CDP?

As part of the Procurement Act 2023, buying authorities will be required to register on the Central Digital Platform (CDP).

When can I register on the CDP?

Contracting authority onboarding to the CDP/FTS began on 27^th January 2025. This is being coordinated through implementation leads and sectoral leads across the public sector.

How will the CDP interact with Delta?

When buying authorities register on the CDP, they will have the ability to generate an API key. This key can be added to their organisation settings within Delta, which allows notices to be published to the CDP/FTS on behalf of the authority from within Delta.

A guide on how to enter your API key into Delta will be made available.

Buyers can also request within Delta that suppliers answer the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). This will replace the current Standard Questionnaire (SQ) and will be available in Delta in a similar way.

New Notices

What is changing regarding notices and how will this impact Delta?

New notices are being introduced as part of the Procurement Act 2023. These will be used for new procurements that start on or after 24th February 2025.

Should I be using the new Procurement Act 2023 notice forms or the current forms?

Current forms will continue to be used for any procurement started on or before 23^rd February 2025.
Procurements started on or after 24^th February 2025 will use the new Procurement Act 2023 notices which will be signposted clearly within Delta.
There will be some exceptions, for example when running a PSR (Provider Selection Regime for the health sector) activity.

What about my existing Frameworks or DPS?

Existing Frameworks/DPSs may run until 23^rd February 2029 while following the current rules, as will all call-off contracts from them.

What about the Standard Questionnaire/Procurement Specific Questionnaire?

As part of the Procurement Act, the Standard Questionnaire (SQ) is being replaced by the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ).

This is a new set of questions that suppliers will be given to answer and aims to acquire information that is specific to the buying authority’s procurement.

Buying authorities can assign the PSQ to suppliers during their procurement activity. This will work similarly to the current SQ within Delta. Suppliers who have been assigned the PSQ will have to answer the questions so that the buyer can evaluate them.

Will Delta still have the current forms available?

Yes – these will be available still. They may need to be used for procurements that started before the Procurement Act came into force, for procedures such as PSR in the health sector and by buyers in Scotland.

How will the new notices link to the new enhanced FTS?

Similarly to how Delta currently works with FTS. Notices will be completed within Delta and published on FTS/CDP via an API, if the user selects to do so.
All buyers will have to re-register on FTS, even if they currently have a login.

What forms will be available and when?

The rollout of the new notices are in multiple phases, as set by the government.

Forms available from 24^th February are as follows:

UK2 preliminary market engagement notice
UK3 planned procurement notice
UK4 tender notice
UK5 transparency notice
UK6 contract award notice
UK7 contract details notice
UK10 contract change notice
UK11 contract termination notice
UK12 procurement termination notice
UK13 dynamic market intention notice
UK14 dynamic market establishment notice
UK15 dynamic market modification notice
UK16 dynamic market cessation notice

Forms available at a later date (to be confirmed by The Cabinet Office) are:

UK1 pipeline notice
UK8 contract payment notice
UK9 contract performance notice
UK17 payments compliance notice

Will the new notices be linked in Delta?

Where possible, notices will re-use information that has already been input in previous forms to reduce duplicate work for the buying authority. This will improve the user workflow and reduce the amount of time needed to complete each notice.

What about Contracts Finder after 24th February?

Contracts Finder will remain available to be used for below threshold notices for existing procurements that are continuing. Existing API connections will remain available.

Procurements conducted under Procurement Act 2023 (both above and below threshold) will have all notices published on FTS with a separate login.

Delta System Changes/Readiness

What has Delta done to ensure system readiness from 24th February?

The Delta team has made necessary system enhancements to prepare for the CDP’s implementation and day one usability and compliance. We have built and extensively tested all the notices that have been made available to us and they will be available to all Delta users when the Procurement Act comes into force.

We have also fully integrated the new API that is provided by the government to link Delta with the buyer/supplier registration service. This will allow Delta to pull information into the system from the CDP quickly and easily and will be available to all Delta users from 24^th February.

As part of the Procurement Act, the Standard Questionnaire (SQ) is being replaced by the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ).

Delta has been enhanced so that buying authorities can assign the PSQ to suppliers during their procurement activity. This will work similarly to the current SQ within Delta. Suppliers who have been assigned the PSQ will have to answer the questions so that the buyer can evaluate them.

What system changes will Delta incur?

System changes will be made to implement the new notices, PSQ, CDP supplier and buyer registration service integration and other smaller changes. Further details of these changes will be shared in due course including webinars and other helpful communications from our team of experts.

Will Delta incur downtime while these new changes are being activated?

Downtime will be required to make these changes; however, we do not anticipate this to be significant and where possible we will do this outside normal business hours.

Frameworks

How will Open Frameworks work?

Open Frameworks are being introduced as part of Procurement Act 2023.

They can run for a maximum of 8 years.
They must be re-opened throughout the term of the framework. An open framework must be re-opened at least:
- Once during the first three years after the first framework award of the scheme.
- And within five years staring from the award of the second framework of the scheme.
There is no limit on the number of times an open framework can be re-opened.
There is no limit by law to the number of suppliers that can be added but contracting authorities may wish to impose their own limit.
For the full flexibility of the framework to apply, there must be at least two suppliers.

Competitive Flexible Procedure

Do I need any specific forms for this procedure, or can I use the standard Procurement Act forms?

Any buyer wating to use the Competitive Flexible Procedure can use the standard set of Procurement Act 2023 forms. Once Competitive Flexible procedure is selected as the procedure type, various questions and choices are given to allow the buyer to explain their process.