Procurement at DBT
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-08)

The Department of Business and Trade (DBT)'s purchasing arrangements and information for those looking to become a supplier or contractor.

Objectives

Our procurement objectives are to:
- achieve value for money, which includes the best combination of costs, service delivery and quality, as well as added social value where relevant and proportionate
- reduce and remove barriers for SMEs in procurement
- make prompt payment of our suppliers and their supply chains
We follow the National Procurement Policy Statement (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-procurement-policy-statement), which sets out the strategic priorities for public procurement.

Transforming public procurement

The Procurement Act 2023 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/enacted), effective from 24 February 2025, revamped public sector purchasing. The main benefits include:
- simplifying and flexing the commercial system while meeting international obligations
- allowing small businesses and social enterprises to compete for public contracts
- enforcing stricter measures on underperforming suppliers and excluding high-risk suppliers
- promoting transparency throughout the commercial lifecycle for better scrutiny of taxpayer spending
Learn about the new procurement regime

There is a range of information and resources about the new regime on the transforming public procurement page (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/transforming-public-procurement).

Commercial agreements

Many government departments, including DBT, use commercial agreements (https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/information-for-buyers-and-suppliers/start-buying/commercial-agreements#:~:text=Commercial%20agreements%20are%20a%20compliant,the%20products%20and%20services%20listed) established by Crown Commercial Service (CCS). Businesses can join these agreements to supply goods and services (https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/information-for-buyers-and-suppliers/start-supplying).

Contract opportunities

Find a Tender (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search) is where all contract opportunities over £12,000 (including VAT) are published as well as details on:
- contracts that have been let
- how contracts are being changed
As a potential supplier, we encourage you to register for Find a Tender (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search) to view opportunities and tender for government contracts. You will need to register if you are interested in bidding on contracts that are in scope of the Procurement Act 2023 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/enacted).

Details of contracts over £12,000 (including VAT) previously established under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search).

Find out more about public sector contract opportunities (https://www.gov.uk/tendering-for-public-sector-contracts) and selling goods or services to the public sector (https://www.gov.uk/tendering-for-public-sector-contracts).

Transparency in procurement

Suppliers intending to bid for public sector contracts should be aware of the various transparency requirements including, subject to certain limited exemptions, the obligation to publish details of contracts awarded.

DBT’s commercial pipeline (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbt-commercial-pipeline) provides a forward look of our anticipated outsourcing activity over the next 18 months. We have included all our major projects and anticipated procurements valued at £2 million or more. Our pipeline will soon be available on Find a Tender (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search), as part of new requirements under the Procurement Act (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/enacted).

Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

For further information on bidding for government contracts, read SMEs: a guide to working with government (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smes-a-guide-to-working-with-government).

DBT also helps small businesses showcase their products or services through sponsorship opportunities of our major events. Find out more on the DBT sponsorship page (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ukti-sponsorship-and-partnering) or contact xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

For questions about SME procurement, contact our policy team on xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

eSourcing

DBT uses the Jaggaer eSourcing portal, a secure and compliant method for managing tendering activities and reducing the time and effort for both buyers and suppliers.

Use the eSourcing portal to:
- register and express an interest in a procurement opportunity
- participate in tendering activities, downloading, completing and submitting proposals
- support contract management activities during the contract period
As a potential supplier to DBT you should register to use Jaggaer (https://uktrade.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html) to:
- view opportunities to tender
- submit tender responses
For help with registration, use the support links on the Jaggaer portal (https://uktrade.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html).

Terms and conditions

DBT uses standard terms and conditions for most procurement activities. These include the Cabinet Office Short Form (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/short-form-terms-and-conditions) and Mid-Tier Contracts (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-mid-tier-contract). The selection of the contract depends on the procurement route, as well as the value and complexity of the goods or services being acquired.

Alongside the Procurement Act 2023, DBT uses the Modular Security Schedules (https://www.security.gov.uk/policy-and-guidance/contracting-securely/) in our contracts to ensure security requirements are robust and adaptable to different procurement scenarios.

When procuring via a CCS framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system, DBT is required to adhere to the contractual terms stipulated in the respective agreement. A standard version of the public sector contract, which CCS uses as the base for framework agreements and dynamic purchasing systems can be found at the Public Sector Contract collection page (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-public-sector-contract). You can review all the details of current CCS agreements (https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/agreements).

Procurement Review Unit (PRU)

The Procurement Review Unit (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/procurement-review-unit) has responsibility for oversight of the Procurement Act 2023, ensuring compliance with the act by contracting authorities and suppliers.

Social value in procurement

DBT adheres to the Public Services (Social Value) Act (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-value-act-information-and-resources) which requires departments who procure services to consider social, economic and environmental benefits in procurements. This means we use our procurement and contract management activities to encourage positive social value behaviour and deliver additional value that benefits our citizens, communities or the environment.

Since the introduction of Procurement Policy Note 002 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ppn-002-taking-account-of-social-value-in-the-award-of-contracts), our approach is to include specific social value criteria by default to all in scope contracts. We do this by using the government’s Social Value Model (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ppn-002-taking-account-of-social-value-in-the-award-of-contracts). We select relevant and proportionate themes and policy outcomes, and measurable metrics to ensure delivery during the life of contract.

Tackling modern slavery

DBT undertakes risk assessments of contracts to ensure the risk of modern slavery in the supply chain is appropriately considered and mitigated against.

Read the government’s 2021 to 2022 modern slavery statement (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-government-modern-slavery-statement-2021-to-2022).

Prompt payment

DBT follows the government prompt payment policy (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prompt-payment-policy) to tackle late and unfair payment practices in both public and private sectors. DBT aims to pay 90% of undisputed and valid invoices from SMEs within 5 days. Additionally, 100% of all undisputed and valid invoices should be paid within 30 days.

The Procurement Act mandates that all contracts include a 30-day payment term, which is implied in contracts even if not explicitly written into them and applies to the entire supply chain. This term also extends to any subcontracts that are wholly or substantially meant to contribute to the performance of a public contract. Invoices will have to be paid within 30 days of receipt, not when they are validated.

Learn more about DBT prompt payment data (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbt-prompt-payment-data).

Where the supplier lets a subcontract in connection with a DBT contract, they must:
- include similar prompt payment terms in the preceding paragraph in respect of payments to the subcontractor
- pay the subcontractor invoices within 30 days
Information security

Data protection and information security is of the highest priority at DBT, therefore information assurance is built into the procurement process, including the use of a third-party assurance process.

Depending on the nature of the procurement and the associated information security risks, suppliers are asked to demonstrate compliance with best practice standards such as cyber essentials or ISO27001 certification.

As part of the assurance process, suppliers may be asked to complete a self-assessment questionnaire. This enables DBT to understand the suppliers’ security posture and supports contract management. All suppliers and their subcontractors are required to protect DBT’s information in accordance with the government Security Classifications Policy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-security-classifications).