Procurement news for ambitious SMEs

The stories that matter to small businesses navigating public sector contracts — updated weekly, plain-English always.

Procurement Act 2023

New assessment summary rules — what they mean for losing bidders

June 2026

The Procurement Act 2023 introduced a mandatory assessment summary that unsuccessful suppliers must now receive. Here's what you're entitled to see — and how to use it.

Social Value

PPN 002 — six months on, what's actually changed on the ground

June 2026

The updated social value model has been mandatory for above-threshold central government contracts since October 2025. We look at how buyers are applying it in practice.

SME Opportunity

Which government departments are closest to their SME spend targets?

June 2026

Departments published their first annual progress reports against their SME spend targets this spring. We break down who's ahead, who's behind, and what that means for bidders.

Bidding Strategy

The go/no-go decision: five questions every SME should ask before bidding

May 2026

The biggest time-waster in tendering isn't writing a weak response — it's writing a strong one to a contract you were never going to win. Here's how to avoid it.

Legislation

MAT vs MEAT — why the language shift in the Procurement Act actually matters

May 2026

Most Advantageous Tender replaced Most Economically Advantageous Tender in February 2025. It's more than a rebrand — here's what changed and why it helps smaller suppliers.

Getting Started

Find a Tender vs Contracts Finder — which portal should your business be on?

April 2026

Two portals, different thresholds, different purposes. If you're new to public sector bidding, here's where to start looking and how to set up alerts that actually work.

The fortnightly procurement briefing

Every two weeks: the procurement news that matters to small businesses, plain-English updates on legislation changes, and opportunities worth knowing about.