Understand what the new notices introduced under the Procurement Act 2023 mean. Learn how you need to use them to buy goods and services in the public sector.

The Procurement Act 2023 introduced 17 new notices, which contracting authorities must publish. These notices refer to the entire procurement lifecycle from planning to contract award. They are designed to make the process more transparent. 

As a buyer, you must make use of some of these notices to:

  • advertise your procurement pipeline 
  • make sure it is a transparent process
  • enable proper management of your contracts after they are awarded

It is important to understand the different notices, what they are used for, and how you must apply them. 

Planning and pipeline notices

These notices are published before the start of a procurement.

UK1 pipeline notice – mandatory

The UK1 pipeline notice tells suppliers what contracts valued at £2 million or above that a buyer is planning to award in the next 18 months. You must publish one between 1 April and 26 May each year if you will spend £100 million or more on contracts in the coming year.

UK2 preliminary market engagement notice – mandatory

The UK2 notice invites suppliers to take part in pre-market engagement for your contract. For example, this might be through industry days or supplier questionnaires. You can also publish one after this engagement has taken place, giving details of the process and outcomes. If one is not published, you must explain why in a UK4 tender notice. 

UK3 planned procurement notice – optional

A UK3 planned procurement notice gives suppliers early notice that a specific procurement is coming. The UK3 notice is optional, but in some circumstances it can allow the contract tendering period to be shortened and it is considered best practice to publish one anyway.

Tender process notices

These are the notices published while a procurement is ongoing. 

UK4 tender notice – mandatory for a competitive procedure

The UK4 tender notice tells suppliers that a tender is open for bids. Under normal circumstances, suppliers have at least 25 days after publishing to submit bids. Buyers must use UK4 if you are planning to buy through a dynamic market using a competitive procurement process. You do not need one for buying through frameworks. 

UK5 transparency notice – mandatory for a direct award

If a buyer directly awards a contract, they must publish a UK5 transparency notice at least 8 days before the contract is awarded. The notice explains why a competition was not run. It can also be used to switch an unsuccessful competitive procurement to a direct award.

Award and post-award notices

These notices are used to complete a procurement by awarding a contract. They can also be used to manage or change the awarded contract. 

UK6 contract award notice: mandatory

A UK6 contract award notice announces which supplier has won a contract through a framework. You must issue it before signing the contract. It triggers the standstill period of at least 8 working days if one applies.

UK7 contract details notice: mandatory

The UK7 contract details notice is used to publish details of an awarded contract. For standard contracts, you must publish one within 30 days of a contract being entered into. 

There are, however, some exceptions for light touch and below-threshold contracts. When contracts are worth £5 million or more, you must also attach a copy of the redacted contract.

UK8 contract payment notice: mandatory

If a public sector buyer makes a payment to a supplier of over £30,000 as part of a public contract, they must publish a UK8 contract payment notice. This gives information about the payment and must be published at the end of the quarter in which the payment was made. 

UK9 contract performance notice: mandatory

For any contract worth over £5 million, public sector buyers must set key performance indicators (KPIs) for the supplier. The UK9 contract performance notice is published at least yearly to track the supplier’s performance against these. 

It is also published when:

  • a contract ends to give a final summary
  • within 30 days of any breach of contract or confirmation of poor performance

UK10 contract change notice: mandatory when making a modification

The UK10 contract change notice should be published when making a modification to a contract, such as value or length. You must publish one before making any change to a contract. You should attach the modified contract document for contracts over £5 million, redacted as necessary.

UK11 contract termination notice: mandatory

You should publish a UK11 contract termination notice within 30 days of a contract ending. This includes contracts that:

  • have been completed successfully
  • are being terminated early
  • have expired 

UK12 procurement termination notice: mandatory

You must publish a UK12 notice to signal that you have cancelled an ongoing procurement and will not be awarding the contract. This is mandatory when a previous tender or transparency notice has been published.

UK17 payments compliance notice: mandatory

A buyer must publish a UK17 payments compliance notice every 6 months to confirm that their suppliers were paid promptly in that period. This ensures buyers adhere to the terms of the contract as well as relevant prompt payment policies. 

Dynamic market notices

The following notices are all used when contracting authorities want to establish, manage or close a dynamic market:

  • UK13 dynamic market intention notice
  • UK14 dynamic market establishment notice
  • UK15 dynamic market modification notice
  • UK16 dynamic market cessation notice

However, these notices are not used by public sector buyers simply looking to buy through a dynamic market. 

Note: certain exceptions may apply to different notices and their use. For full information on these exceptions, and for further detail on each of these notices and their use, read the guides available on GOV.UK. 

What notices do I need to publish when I call off through a framework?

Not all of the notices introduced by the Procurement Act need to be used when calling off a contract through a framework. 

This table shows the notices you need to publish if you award a contract through a framework agreement, and when to publish them.

Notice When to publish it
UK6 contract award notice Before entering into the contract
UK7 contract details notice Within 30 days after the contract is entered into
UK17 payments compliance notice Every 6 months
UK8 contract payment notice Within 30 days of the end of the quarter, if:
it is a public contract
it is awarded under a framework established under the Procurement Act 2023
the contract commenced after 1 April 2026
UK9 contract performance notice At least once per year during the contract’s duration, and when the contract ends
UK11 contract termination notice Within 30 days of the contract ending

You must also publish a contract change notice (UK10) if you are modifying a contract that was tendered through a framework. 

Find out more

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