Guidance

Procurement Review Unit

The Procurement Review Unit (PRU) willhas have responsibility for oversight of the new Procurement Act 2023

From:
Cabinet Office
Published
24 February 2025
Last updated
322 DecemberFebruary 20252026 — See all updates

Overview 

The Procurement Act 2023 was introduced to transform how public procurement is carried out in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Act reforms the UK’s public procurement regime, making it quicker, simpler, more transparent and better able to meet the UK’s needs while remaining compliant with our international obligations. 

The Procurement Review Unit (PRU) willhas have responsibility for oversight of the new regime, initially aiming to ensure that the changes introduced by the Procurement Act 2023 are embedded within contracting authorities. The PRU will investigate contracting authorities, to ensure compliance with the Act, and suppliers, for possible addition to the debarment list. Private utilities and some NHS personal care services are, however, out of scope of the PRU. 

The PRU is designed to deliver the following benefits:

  • Raising standards across public sector procurement through focus on, but not limited to, early identification and rectification of systemic and institutional breaches.
  • The protection of public contracts and public money from suppliers who pose risk by:
    • Central consideration of ‘self-cleaning’ evidence provided by suppliers in order to assess whether the circumstances giving rise to an exclusion ground are continuing or likely to occur again
    • Greater consistency and efficiency of supplier exclusions across the public sector, informed by a central debarment list and published investigation reports.

Our Ambition

Our ambition is to raise standards in public procurement, driving accountability for contracting authorities and suppliers in the UK. Raising Standards - Our Ambition sets out how the Procurement Review Unit supports the Procurement Act 2023.

Structure of the PRU

The PRU consists of three services. To make a referral to a service, click on the relevant service referral form or scroll down the page for further information:

Raise a concern in regard to a contracting authority’s non-compliance with the Procurement Act 2023

Notify the Debarment Review Service that a supplier has been excluded, replaced or removed from a public sector procurement 

This service is also responsible for managing the debarment list. 

National Security Unit for Procurement

In addition to these services, but separate from the PRU, the National Security Unit for Procurement (NSUP) has responsibility for debarment, exclusion, and termination cases which engage the national security grounds. NSUP is based within the Cabinet Office and works closely with the DRS.  

To read the national security specific exclusions and terminations guidance, make a referral on national security grounds, or generally find out more about NSUP, please refer to the National Security Unit for Procurement Overview Page.

Before using the Procurement Review Unit service

We highly encourage you to review the information outlined in the relevant services’ scope and remit documents prior to engaging the service in question. These documents clarify what you can expect from us, as well as what we require from you for a successful resolution to your inquiry. By submitting a referral form in relation to one of the services provided, you acknowledge and accept the scope and remit of our service.

We will endeavour to keep details of referrers confidential in investigations and related publications where appropriate, but we cannot guarantee confidentiality in all circumstances including where legal obligations may require disclosure.

If your concern is in regards to a procurement activity under a devolved procurement arrangement, please see links below:

Northern Ireland – Construction and Procurement Delivery (CPD)

Scotland – Single Point of Enquiry

Wales –  Wales Procurement Review Unit - GOV.WALES

Public Procurement Review Service

The Public Procurement Review Service (PPRS) was introduced in 2011 as one of a range of measures designed to make government easier to work with,  particularly for smaller businesses.  Both central and wider public sector contracting authorities are in scope of the PPRS.

The role of PPRS is to investigate public sector procurement processes in response to a supplier’s (or a supplier’s representative) complaint about a specific procurement. It may make (non-binding) recommendations to contracting authorities with the aim to improve standards, which can lead to live procurements being adjusted or reviewed. The issue must have taken place in the last 2 years and can relate to any stage of the procurement life cycle. The PPRS also handles cases concerning the late payment of valid and undisputed invoices.

Generally when carrying out its investigations, the PPRS will not exercise the powers under the Procurement Act 2023, but may do so in cases where the contracting authority being investigated fails to co-operate. The PPRS may also refer a case to the Procurement Compliance Service for a formal investigation under the Procurement Act 2023, for example if it uncovers serious breaches in the course of its investigation. The PPRS will also carry out non-statutory reviews of central government authorities.

Please read the scope and remit and complete the form below to raise an issue. 

Public Procurement Review Service Scope and Remit (PDF, 163 KB, 8 pages)

Raise a supplier concern with public sector procurement, contract management, or late payment

In line with the government’s commitment to transparency, the service publishes case resolutions on the Public Procurement Review Service Annual Reports and Public Procurement Review Service Raised Referrals and Case Resolutions pages.

Procurement Compliance Service 

The Procurement Compliance Service (PCS) focuses on investigating in-scope contracting authorities’ compliance with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023. 

The PCS covers both central and wider public sector contracting authorities (such as NHS, local government and universities). The PCS will utilise the statutory powers under Part 10 of the Procurement Act 2023 to carry out investigations into a relevant contracting authority’s compliance with the Act. Where appropriate, the PCS may issue recommendations to that contracting authority as to the action it should take to comply with the Act and/or guidance that applies to contracting authorities more generally. 

A recommendation issued under the Procurement Act 2023 cannot relate to a contracting authority’s compliance with procurement objectives under section 12, the National Procurement Policy Statement (or the Welsh equivalent), the duty to consider small and medium enterprises in regulated below-threshold contracts under section 86, nor the exercise of a contracting authority’s discretion in procurements.

The PCS may by notice require a contracting authority being investigated to provide relevant documents and giving assistance with an investigation as is reasonable in the circumstances.

Findings and recommendations will be captured in a report which may be published on GOV.UK. A contracting authority may also be requested to provide progress reports (which could include an action plan), to demonstrate what actions (if any) the contracting authority has taken as a result of a recommendation. These may also be published.

Whilst the Act does not set out any limits or parameters for a PCS investigation, the PCS will focus on, but not be limited to, investigating systemic (actual or potential breaches common across multiple contracting authorities), and institutional (breaches that are regularly being made, or are anticipated to be made, by one particular contracting authority) breaches of the Act.

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Procurement Compliance Service Scope and Remit (PDF, 198 KB, 6 pages)

Raise a concern in regard to a contracting authority’s non-compliance with the Procurement Act 2023

Debarment Services

Debarment aims to protect public money from suppliers who pose a risk to public procurement. There are two teams that work on behalf of the minister to consider if a supplier should be added to the debarment list.

The National Security Unit for Procurement (NSUP) manages debarments on the basis of the two national security exclusion grounds (contained in paragraph 35 of Schedule 6 and paragraph 14 of Schedule 7 of the Act), in addition to national security exclusions and terminations.

The Debarment Review Service (DRS) manages debarment for all other exclusion grounds. 

Contracting authorities are mandated to notify the PRU of suppliers they have excluded, replaced or removed from a public sector procurement and the applicable exclusion ground(s).

Before submitting a completed form to refer a supplier,  please read the DRS scope and remit:

Debarment Review Service Scope and Remit (PDF, 196 KB, 5 pages)

Debarment List

Please refer to the Debarment list (PDF, 109 KB, 1 page) to check which suppliers have been included on the list, the applicable exclusion ground(s) and the associated investigation report (where available).

Please note, the debarment regime went live on 24th February 2025, which granted the powers to investigate. Consequently, until such time as a ministerial decision is taken to add a supplier to the debarment list, following investigation, the list will remain blank. 

Submitting referrals for consideration for debarment or to provide notification for excluding a supplier on the basis of an exclusion ground(s) (except national security):

  1. To raise a referral for consideration for a debarment investigation on the basis of an exclusion ground(s) in Schedules 6 and 7 of the Procurement Act (except on the grounds of national security)

    Raise a referral for debarment with the Debarment Review Service