Procurement: PPN 10/20 Procurement after the transition period ends on 31 December 2020

The Cabinet Office has published Procurement Policy Note PPN 10/20 “Procurement after the transition period ends on 31 December 2020” (published 10 December 2020).

PPN 10/20 applies to all contracting authorities, including Central Government Bodies, Executive Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies, wider public sector, local authority, NHS bodies and utilities.

PPN 10/20 confirms that the main change to the existing public procurement regime at the end of the transition period is required use of the new UK e-notification service, called Find a Tender service (FTS).

FTS is to be used in cases where, prior to the end of the transition period, publication in the OJEU notice is required. Further information on FTS is set out in PPN 08/2020, details of which can be found in our recent article on PPN 08/20.

PPN 10/20 is supported by FAQs on FTS and advertising and also on other topics:

• Thresholds - including confirmation that current thresholds remain and will not be reviewed until January 2022
• Timing - in particular on procedures which started before the end of the transition period
• Procedures – covering issues such as continued use of CPV codes, renaming ESPD as “SPD”, stating that there is no effective change to the remedies regime, confirming that you cannot just “Buy British”, how to check GPA coverage and a section on references to standards. There is also an FAQ on abnormally low tenders and State Aid, with confirmation that further detailed guidance will be provided on State aid and the UK subsidy framework.