You can’t just pitch a hospital or a council - in the UK, the public sector buys through named procurement frameworks. Here’s how it works after the Procurement Act 2023, the route for each sector, and how to get listed.
Selling to the UK public sector follows different rules to private B2B. A trust can’t simply buy your medical device because a clinician likes it - it buys through a compliant route, and that usually means you must already be on the right framework. This guide covers how UK public procurement works now, the named routes for each sector, and the credentials you’ll need.
A framework is a pre-agreed list of approved suppliers a public body can buy from without running a full tender each time. Win a place on the right one and you become buyable; miss it and the best product in the room still can’t be purchased.
The rules changed materially in 2025. The Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 24 February 2025 - the biggest overhaul of UK public procurement in a generation - built around transparency, wider competition and social value.
Three things matter most for a supplier trying to break in:
The new CDP is the front door. You enter your core company details once - free - and share them with each buyer, instead of re-keying the same information into every tender.
Higher-value contracts are advertised on Find a Tender; lower-value ones on Contracts Finder. Most routine buying, though, happens through frameworks you must already be on.
Closed frameworks (fixed supplier list, being phased out), open frameworks (reopen periodically for new entrants), and Dynamic Purchasing Systems you can join at any time.
The central buying body, Crown Commercial Service, became the Government Commercial Agency in April 2026 - but the frameworks (G-Cloud and the rest) carry on under the new name.
The right framework depends entirely on what you sell and who you’re selling to. Choose your sector to see the named routes, exactly how to get listed, and the credentials buyers will expect.
Whatever the sector, a recurring set of qualifications opens the door. Get these in place before you bid - several are now pass/fail.
The mandatory supplier registration behind every public procurement. Do it first.
Increasingly mandatory - Cyber Essentials Plus for cloud hosting and sensitive data.
A PPN-compliant plan is a pass/fail requirement on most public tenders now.
A minimum 10% social-value weighting, plus a Modern Slavery statement for larger firms.
Sector ISO standards (e.g. ISO 13485 for medical devices) and proof you can deliver.
Accounts and insurance to show you can carry the contract - checked at selection.
Getting onto a framework is only half the battle - you then have to actually win business through it. We do both: we navigate the right route for your product, support the bid, and put a local UK team on the framework competitions and call-offs.
We identify the framework or DPS that fits your product, sector and timeline - no wasted bids.
We help line up the credentials - CDP, Cyber Essentials, Carbon Reduction Plan, social value.
Our team supports the tender response so you actually secure a place on the framework.
A local rep works the call-offs and mini-competitions, turning your framework place into pipeline.
Book a discovery call and we’ll map the exact frameworks for your product - NHS Supply Chain, G-Cloud or another - and show you how we’d get you listed and selling.
Most medical devices and consumables are bought through NHS Supply Chain. You register on the Central Digital Platform and the Jaggaer portal, then bid when your product category goes out to tender. Genuinely innovative products can also join the Medical Technology Innovation DPS at any time.
Not continuously. As of July 2026, G-Cloud 14 is the live framework; G-Cloud 15 applications closed on 30 January 2026 and it is expected to go live around September 2026. As an open framework it reopens to new suppliers at intervals - the next window is expected around spring 2028.
It came into force on 24 February 2025 - the biggest overhaul of UK public procurement in a generation. It simplifies procedures, centralises notices on the Central Digital Platform, and increases transparency and the weighting of social value.
Typically registration on the Central Digital Platform, Cyber Essentials (Plus for cloud hosting), relevant ISO certifications, financial standing, and a social-value commitment. Several of these are now pass/fail requirements.
We know the frameworks, the credentials and the buyers. Book a discovery call and see how we’d get you listed and selling.