Public sector suppliers may want to take note of an important Procurement Act 2023 update.
From 1 April 2026, for notifiable below-threshold contracts, contracting authorities must now confirm that a supplier is registered on the Central Digital Platform (CDP), obtain the supplier’s unique identifier / PPON, and include it in the contract details notice. This applies to contracts with an estimated value of at least £12,000 including VAT for central government authorities and £30,000 including VAT for other authorities, NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts.
Although the formal publication duty sits with the authority, suppliers are likely to feel the impact through more requests for CDP / PPON details, tighter onboarding and master data checks, more structured invoicing requirements, and greater scrutiny where contract references, fees or payment timing are unclear.
This is part of a wider move towards greater procurement transparency. Cabinet Office guidance also confirms that the enhanced Find a Tender service became the government’s central digital platform on 24 February 2025, designed to make it easier for suppliers to register once, store core business details and use that information across multiple bids.
For consultants, contractors and SMEs, the message is straightforward: being bid-ready increasingly means being digitally ready too.
