New UK Procurement Rules Are Coming: Is Your Bid Strategy Ready?
In June 2025, the UK Government published a new consultation on public procurement, and it’s a big one.
Titled “Public Procurement: Growing British Industry, Jobs and Skills”, the document outlines a series of proposed legal reforms that aim to reshape how £385 billion in public sector spending is allocated.
This isn’t just guidance. The Government is proposing to amend the Procurement Act 2023, taking the changes through Parliament. If passed, these reforms will become legally binding — not optional policy advice.
The consultation closes on 5 September 2025. But if you’re preparing bids for public contracts, now is the time to act. These bids — if adopted — will raise expectations on everything from SME inclusion and social value to local job creation and national resilience.
In this article, we break down what’s being proposed — and what it could mean for the way you plan, write, and win public sector bids in the UK.
What’s Being Proposed?
The consultation sets out a clear ambition: to use public procurement as a lever to deliver the Government’s national priorities — not just as a mechanism for buying goods and services.
According to the document, “public procurement is a key lever in achieving the Government’s missions”. These missions include:
- Kickstarting economic growth
- Making Britain a clean energy superpower
- Taking back our streets
- Breaking down barriers to opportunity
- Building a National Health Service fit for the future
To make this shift happen, the consultation proposes amendments to the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025. These amendments would legally strengthen the requirements for how contracting authorities design, evaluate and award public sector bids.
The bids aim to move beyond transactional procurement and instead “champion British businesses,” “empower local communities,” and “safeguard national resilience and economic security”.
This includes thinking not just about how a service is delivered — but how it’s designed, whose voices are heard, and how it supports a dynamic local economy.
Highlights from the Bids
The consultation includes several headline bids that, if legislated, will reshape the criteria contracting authorities use to assess public sector bids. These are the most significant:
a) SME and VCSE Spend Targets
From 1 April 2025, all central government departments and their arm’s-length bodies will be required to set three-year targets for direct spend with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Annual progress against these targets will also need to be published.
Targets for Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs) will follow in 2026.
b) Stricter Prompt Payment Rules
The Government is proposing new rules to encourage faster payment throughout supply chains.
Under the bid, departments would be required to exclude suppliers from competing for contracts over £5 million if they cannot demonstrate an average invoice payment time of 45 days or less.
c) Social Value Reform
Social value remains a key priority — but the Government wants to strengthen how it’s measured and delivered.
The consultation proposes revising the current model to better align with the five national missions and ensure value is “delivered in the places that need it most”.
This includes making reporting more robust and requiring clearer geographic and thematic focus in how social value is evaluated.
d) Support for Local Jobs and Skills
The Government is also proposing stronger expectations around how bids support local job creation and skills development.
This could involve changes to how authorities design procurement exercises to favour suppliers that offer “good quality, local jobs and training opportunities” — especially in areas of economic need.
What Bid Teams Should Take from This
These bids may still be under consultation, but the message is clear: the UK Government is serious about using procurement to deliver broader social, economic, and environmental outcomes — and it intends to legislate to make that happen.
If you’re preparing bids for public sector contracts, this is what you need to start thinking about now:
Compliance Alone Won’t Be Enough
The proposed reforms signal a shift away from a purely rules-based assessment process. In the future, bids will need to show not just that they meet the brief — but that they contribute to national priorities.
Bid teams will need to build in narratives around local job creation, SME engagement, and social impact — not as an afterthought, but as a core part of their offer.
You’ll Need to Speak the Government’s Language
The reforms are explicitly tied to the Government’s five strategic missions. That means bids that mirror these priorities — in language, structure, and outcomes — are more likely to succeed.
Whether you’re talking about growth, opportunity, or clean energy, aligning your bid with the wider policy context will matter more than ever.
Proof of Impact Will Become Essential
These bids don’t just ask for commitments — they ask for evidence.
Authorities will be expected to ensure suppliers can demonstrate how and where social value is delivered, and what impact they’ll have on jobs, skills, and communities.
That means bid writers must be ready with credible, specific examples, metrics, and proof points.
How AutogenAI Helps You Stay Ahead
If these bids are passed — and the Government’s intent to legislate is clear — bid teams will need to move fast, stay aligned with national priorities, and evidence impact with precision.
AutogenAI gives you a head start.
Instantly Align Your Bid with Government Priorities
AutogenAI helps you frame responses around the five national missions from the start. Whether it’s economic growth, clean energy, or social mobility, our platform helps you tailor your language to the strategic goals that matter most to public buyers.
Put Social Value and SME Support Front and Centre
With proposed legal obligations around SME spend and social value delivery, you need to do more than just mention them — you need to lead with them.
AutogenAI makes it easy to generate persuasive content that reflects your company’s strengths in:
- Supporting small businesses
- Creating local jobs
- Delivering measurable community benefits
No More Last-Minute Scrambling for Evidence
When bids are judged on impact, outcomes, and proof, you can’t afford to be vague.
AutogenAI’s Evidence and Case Study tools help you:
- Surface relevant case studies
- Pull in verified metrics
- Reuse approved, high-impact content from your own document library
So you can build better bids, faster — and win more work without the burnout.
Get Deeper Insight with Research Assistant
AutogenAI’s Research Assistant can summarise policy papers, highlight key buyer priorities, and explain technical or thematic requirements — all within your workspace.
If you’re writing about clean energy, NHS reform, or local job creation, you can get up to speed quickly — and feed that insight directly into your draft.
Ask AI to Fill the Gaps
Need to explain a social value model? Craft a local supply chain narrative? Translate an operational process into plain English?
Ask AI can help you with the heavy lifting. You type the question, and it delivers high-quality, bid-ready content in seconds — grounded in your bid context and best practise.
Final Word
The direction of travel is clear: bids that deliver wider public value are going to be favoured.
The Government’s June 2025 consultation isn’t just about tweaks to policy — it’s about embedding strategic national priorities directly into procurement law.
Whether or not you respond to the consultation before the 5 September deadline, one thing is certain: your bid strategy needs to adapt. Buyers will be looking for suppliers who support British businesses, invest in local skills, and deliver measurable social outcomes — not just those who meet the spec.
With AutogenAI, you’re already ahead of the curve. You’re building bids that reflect what the Government is asking for: clarity, credibility, and clear alignment with national goals.
And when the rules change — you’ll be ready.
Click here to book a demo and find out how AutogenAI can keep you ahead of the game today.
