Procurement Act change from 1 April 2026: public sector supplier update

The government has announced that from 1 April 2026, all suppliers to the public sector who are awarded a below-threshold contract will be required to register on the Central Digital Platform. This process will provide them with a ‘unique identifier’ which will be required as part of the contract award process.

This change aims to enhance the transparency of contract awards throughout the public sector.

For further information regarding the registration process, please consult the Central Digital Platform guide here.

Blue Light Commercial has outlined several important considerations:

• Registration is a very simple process and should only take a few minutes.

• Registration is not a condition for participating in a below-threshold procurement (it is only required by the successful bidder at contract award).

• The requirement is basic supplier registration only – there is no requirement to complete the further Supplier Information steps.

• If a supplier has already registered on the Central Digital Platform, e.g. for a previous procurement, then there is no need to register again.

techUK is committed to supporting tech suppliers and ensuring they remain informed regarding changes to the Procurement Act.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about our work in this space, please reach out to a member of the team below.