The Procurement Act 2023 and associated Welsh regulations came into force on 24 February. This Act consolidates previous procurement rules to create a single public procurement regime across the UK. This will simplify the system, make public procurement more accessible to new entrants and embed transparency.
The Wales Procurement Review Unit (WPRU) and the new procurement regime came into effect on 24 February 2025. The WPRU:
- improves the capability and practices of devolved Welsh contracting authorities for the benefit of everyone involved in public procurement by ensuring compliance with the new procurement rules (and trade agreements).
- protects public procurement from suppliers that pose unacceptable risk.
This embeds the changes introduced by the Procurement Act 2023 and the Health Services (Provider Selection Regime) (Wales) Regulations 2025.
The WPRU offers 3 services:
- A new Procurement Feedback Service (PFS)
- A new Procurement Compliance Service (PCS)
- A new Exclusions & Debarment Service (EDS)
The WPRU page along with its detailed processes are still being finalised with stakeholders, including UKG and the Northern Ireland Executive, and will be fully available in due course.