Contract award and challenges

This subtopic contains a range of resources for suppliers engaging in a public procurement exercise commenced before the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023) came into force on 24 February 2025. In-scope procurements begun on or after this date are governed by PA 2023. Under the transitional and savings provisions for PA 2023, the previous regimes continue to apply to the extent necessary to allow contracting authorities to complete and manage procurements commenced before PA 2023 came into force (ie ongoing procurements).

This sub-topic considers matters that a contracting authority conducting a public procurement exercise will need to address once it reaches its decision on contract award, with particular focus on public procurement procedures under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), SI 2015/102. It also examines some of the issues the parties may encounter after a contract has been awarded, for instance, in the event of a subsequent modification to the contract, or a legal challenge.

This overview focuses on the law and principles applicable under the pre-PA 2023 regime. For guidance on PA 2023, see: Procurement Act 2023—overview.