Delivering MAT Through CFP: A Practical Guide for Category Managers The Procurement Act 2023 introduces two transformative changes: Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) replaces MEAT (section 19) Competitive Flexible Procedure (CFP) (section 20) replaces rigid legacy procedures with tailored, proportionate competition For category managers, this is an opportunity to move beyond lowest-price compliance toward structured processes that deliver genuine value for money, public benefit, and whole-life … Read More
Competitive Flexible Procedure: Mastering the Procurement Act 2023
Competitive Flexible Procedure: Opportunity, Risk and the Route to Strategic Excellence A New Era for UK Public Procurement The Procurement Act 2023 is the most significant reform of public procurement law in a generation. Receiving Royal Assent on 26 October 2023 and coming into force on 24 February 2025, it sweeps away the old EU-derived straitjacket and replaces it with … Read More
Procurement Act 2023: From “MEAT” to “MAT” – The Quiet Revolution:
How One Deleted Word in UK Law Shifted Billions of Pounds of Economic Power From “Most Economically Advantageous Tender” to “Most Advantageous Tender” – the biggest unheralded transfer of financial power from the private to the public sector in a generation On 24 February 2025, the UK’s Procurement Act 2023 came fully into force. Amid the noise of election cycles and fiscal events, … Read More
Should UK government abandon the OJEU?
Catching up with a well-respected colleague who is trying to sell his services to the public sector, he bemoaned their insistence upon public sector and OJEU experience. Why would you insist on this experience – bring in more of the same – to bring about change? We both agreed this is the last thing you need if you want to … Read More
David Cameron – The Brave PM?
Prior to the election Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor known as the Oracle of Omaha, was quoted in Business Week as saying he doesn’t envy the winner of the UK general election, due to the need to make “politically very unpopular” decisions to cut the deficit. Now post election BNP Paribas analysts say, the new government will have to present … Read More
UK Plc Part 2: A Solution for Public Sector Procurement
Moving from a collaborative approach to a centre led approach would deliver huge benefits for both the public sector and the government purse. Furthermore, such a transformation could be achieved within the life time of a government, making it a very attractive policy with an enormous return and little risk. Adopting a more systematic and authoritative approach is central to … Read More
UK Plc Part 1: What’s wrong with Public Sector Procurement?
The UK government currently spends around £220bn on goods and services – that’s about £1 in every £4 spent in total by the Exchequer. (Source OGC website). It is right therefore for taxpayers to have expectations that monies on this scale are managed in accordance with best practices benchmarked anywhere in the world. Leading organisations in the private sector … Read More