techUK survey: Is the Procurement Act working for local government?

Have your say in techUK’s local government procurement survey

Good procurement is the foundation of effective local public services. It helps councils get the best value for money from technology, so they can run efficiently and deliver the best possible services for the communities they serve. As our new report, Economy 2030: An Agenda for Tech-Enabled Growth, points out, good procurement can also drive growth across the UK by backing strategic technologies and sectors, enabling innovation and helping companies to grow. That is why we're launching a new survey through our Local Public Services Committee of technology buyers and suppliers in local government, to find out how procurement is working in practice and where it can improve.

In 2025 techUK’s Local Public Services (LPS) Committee released the report UK GovTech Procurement Landscape 2025. The report captured views from buyers and suppliers across local government to understand the challenges, opportunities, and priorities for those commissioning technology and for those supplying it. It found that there was a shared view on both sides that the procurement process as it currently stands often fails to deliver the best outcomes or value for money, with 73.7% of buyers feeling that at least half of their recent procurements had not achieved the best outcome for their organisation, and 94.8% of suppliers saying that, in at least some tenders they had won, buyers had expectations or requirements beyond those set out in the tender.

With the Procurement Act 2023 having come into force in February 2025, it is time to assess whether it is making a difference on the ground. With this in mind, our follow-up survey will explore:

The impact of the Procurement Act 2023: whether it has improved things, how it has changed tender specifications and assessment approaches, and whether buyers know they can now exclude suppliers for poor past performance.

Value and outcomes: whether recent competitive procurements delivered value for money and the best outcome for councils, and how they compare with direct awards.

Evaluation and scoring: how much weight goes on price, what buyers award marks for, and whether scoring criteria match strategic goals.

Visibility and bidding: how easily suppliers can find opportunities, how direct awards affect competition, and why suppliers choose not to bid.

Capacity and process: whether buying teams have the time and expertise they need, and what frustrates both sides most.

AI in procurement: how far buyers use AI to draft tender questions and suppliers use it to draft responses, and whether buyers mind AI being used in bids.

Social value: whether suppliers believe in it and whether it is being applied effectively.

By comparing these results with our previous survey, we will be able to see what has changed since the Act went live and where buyers and suppliers believe gaps remain and improvements could be made.

“Good technology procurement isn’t simply about buying the lowest-cost product or replacing one system with another similar one. It’s about understanding the outcome we are trying to achieve, the capabilities we need and the wider technology environment we are building for the future. That means looking beyond the initial purchase price to whole-life value, interoperability, existing platforms and skills, and our ability to adapt as needs change. This survey is important because we need an honest picture from both councils and suppliers of where procurement helps us achieve that and where the process itself gets in the way.”

Madeline Smith, CTO, Assistant Director for Technology, North Yorkshire Council

“At the start of every successful technology project there is a successful and well-run procurement. If you were ever disappointed with a project outcome, suffered buyer’s remorse, or just thought improvements could be made to your procurement experience, this survey is one way you can help us address this across the UK public and private sector. The 2025 survey was revealing of some of the deficiencies and practices out there; this year we are rerunning it to see if recent legislation has helped or hindered progress in the real world.”

Denis Kaminskiy, Founder and Director of Strategy, Arcus Global

We'll use the survey findings to shape our ongoing work on local government procurement. This will include a short report on the results, published early next year, and activities such as roundtables that bring suppliers together with local government decision makers.

If you want to contribute and make sure your voice is heard in shaping how councils and suppliers work together on procurement, you can find our buyer and supplier surveys below. Please complete the survey by Monday 21 December.