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UK procurement changes in 2026: what FM suppliers need to know

Updated 18 October 2026. Checked against PPN 023, the Procurement (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/360) and PPN 026.

The Procurement Act 2023 has been live since 24 February 2025, and 2026 brought a run of follow-up changes. None of them is dramatic on its own, but together they change where you find opportunities, what you need registered before you can be awarded small contracts, and how social value will be scored from 2027.

Short version: keep your central digital platform supplier record current, watch for below-threshold notices reserved for SMEs, stop relying on Contracts Finder for new opportunities, and prepare a jobs-and-skills social value offer for PPN 026 before 1 January 2027.

The 2026 timeline

Date Change What it means for FM suppliers
1 January 2026 New procurement thresholds (PPN 023) More contracts sit below the full-regime thresholds or above them depending on the buyer. See the table below.
24 March 2026 Below-threshold tender notices must say whether the contract is reserved for SMEs, value-driven NGOs or both Search for reserved notices. Smaller FM contracts may now be ring-fenced for SMEs.
1 April 2026 Before publishing a below-threshold contract details notice, buyers must obtain the supplier's platform registration and unique identifier, plus SME status If you are not registered on the central digital platform, small awards can stall. Register once and keep it current.
1 April 2026 Payment information can be published on the platform under section 70 of the Act, for procurements commenced after that section applies Payment performance on public contracts becomes more visible. Expect buyers and primes to take prompt payment more seriously.
August 2026 PPN 026 publishes the new central government Social Value Model Applies to in-scope procurements commenced on or after 1 January 2027. Social value narrows to good jobs and skills.
1 October 2026 Transitional rules replace Contracts Finder publication with the central digital platform in specified cases Contracts Finder now mainly holds legacy procurements. Find a Tender is where new opportunities appear.

2026 thresholds

These amounts apply to procurements commenced on or after 1 January 2026 and include VAT. Above them, the full Procurement Act regime applies.

Type of contract Threshold from 1 January 2026
Goods, services or works for a central government authority £135,018
Goods, services or works for a sub-central authority (for example councils and most NHS bodies) £207,720
Works contracts £5,193,000
Light touch contracts £663,540
Utilities contracts (not works or light touch) £415,440

Most FM services contracts are services contracts, so the £135,018 and £207,720 figures are the ones to watch. A planned maintenance contract that includes substantial works may be classed differently, so check how the buyer has described it.

What to do now

  1. Check your central digital platform record. Make sure your supplier information and unique identifier are current, and that your SME status is correct.
  2. Point your searches at Find a Tender. If your alerts still rely on Contracts Finder, you will miss new opportunities. Our live FM tender pages pull from Find a Tender, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and legacy Contracts Finder notices, with free RSS feeds by service.
  3. Look for SME-reserved notices. Below-threshold opportunities reserved for SMEs reduce competition from national providers. They are worth prioritising in your bid/no-bid process.
  4. Get ready for PPN 026. Baseline pay, training, apprenticeships and local recruitment now. Read the PPN 026 guide or run the readiness checker.
  5. Pay your supply chain promptly. Payment information is becoming more visible, and many buyers already ask about payment performance at selection stage.

Turn the changes into a repeatable bid process

The UK FM Tender Toolkit includes a Procurement Act 2023 readiness checklist, PQQ/SPD evidence tracker, social value template and worked example, and the Bid Command Centre workbook. TenderStandard Pro adds matched daily tender digests and buyer dossiers.

Get the toolkit, £129

Sources

This guide summarises public policy and legislation for planning purposes. It is not legal or procurement advice. Always check the current legislation and the documents for each tender.

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