From Monday 30 September to Friday 4 October techUK will be holding Procurement Week. The Procurement Act 2023 is set to go live in February 2025 and it will bring changes to procurement in the UK public sector, aiming to create a simpler and more flexible commercial system, open up the market to new entrants such as small businesses and social enterprises, and embed transparency.
Through a series of online events based around public procurement, we will explore what the changes will look like in practice and just how the act will influence how suppliers do business with the UK public sector.
Scroll down to see our other events for the week.
On Monday 30 September from 11:00 - 12:00,we are pleased to be hosting Mills & Reeve for this webinar on the changes that are coming as part of the UK Procurement Act 2023, as part of techUK's Procurement Week 2024.
What does the Procurement Act 2023 mean for technology suppliers to the public sector?
In this hour long webinar, procurement law expert Kevin Calder provides an outline of the key changes resulting from the major overhaul to the UK’s public procurement regime under the Procurement Act 2023 which is commencing from 28 October 2024.
Kevin is a technology and procurement partner at law firm Mills & Reeve (who run the online procurement resource at procurementportal.com).
The session will explain the new supplier selection procedure under the Act, the competitive flexible procedure, and what that is likely to mean for major IT procurements.
Kevin will also explain the new transparency requirements, and the risks and benefits that arise for suppliers. He will discuss how poor performance on a single public contract could result in a supplier being excluded from all UK public sector tenders, and how suppliers can use the new notices regime to understand what their competitors are doing, including contract awards, pricing, amendments and extensions.
Join the session to understand the main impacts of the new regime on technology suppliers to the public sector.
If you would like to attend, make sure to book your place!
Heather Cover-Kus
Head of Central Government Programme, techUK
Heather Cover-Kus
Head of Central Government Programme, techUK
Heather is Head of Central Government Programme at techUK, working to represent the supplier community of tech products and services to Central Government.
Prior to joining techUK in April 2022, Heather worked in the Economic Policy and Small States Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She led the organisation’s FinTech programme and worked to create an enabling environment for developing countries to take advantage of the socio-economic benefits of FinTech.
Before moving to the UK, Heather worked at the Office of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas and the Central Bank of The Bahamas.
Heather holds a Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP, a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from LSE, and a BA in Economics and Sociology from Macalester College.
Ellie joined techUK in March 2018 as a Programme Assistant to the Public Sector team and now works as a Programme Manager for the Central Government Programme.
The programme represents the supplier community of technology products and services in Central Government – in summary working to make Government a more informed buyer, increasing supplier visibility in order to improve their chances of supplying to Government Departments, and fostering better engagement between the public sector and industry. To find out more about what we do, how we do this and how you can get involved – make sure to get in touch!
Prior to joining techUK, Ellie completed Sixth Form in June 2015 and went on to work in Waitrose, moved on swiftly to walking dogs and finally, got an office job working for a small local business in North London, where she lives with her family and their two Bengal cats Kai and Nova.
When she isn’t working Ellie likes to spend time with her family and friends, her cats, and enjoys volunteering for diabetes charities. She has a keen interest in writing, escaping with a good book and expanding her knowledge watching far too many quiz shows!
Austin joined techUK’s Central Government team in March 2024 to launch a workstream within Education and EdTech.
With a career spanning technology, policy, media, events and comms, Austin has worked with technology communities, as well as policy leaders and practitioners in Education, Central and Local Government and the NHS.
Cutting his teeth working for Skills Matter, London’s developer community hub, Austin then moved to GovNet Communications where he launched Blockchain Live and the Cyber Security and Data Protection Summit. For the last 3 years he has worked with leaders in Education across the state and independent schools sectors, from primary up to higher education, with a strong research interest in technology and education management.
Programme Manager, Cyber Security and Central Government, techUK
Annie Collings
Programme Manager, Cyber Security and Central Government, techUK
Annie joined techUK as the Programme Manager for Cyber Security and Central Government in September 2023. In this role, she supports the Cyber Security SME Forum, engaging regularly with key government and industry stakeholders to advance the growth and development of SMEs in the cyber sector.
Before joining techUK, Annie was an Account Manager at a specialist healthcare agency, where she provided public affairs support to a wide range of medical technology clients. She also gained experience as an intern in both an MP’s constituency office and with the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed. Annie holds a degree in International Relations from Nottingham Trent University.
Ella joined techUK in November 2023 as a Markets Team Assistant, supporting the Justice and Emergency Services, Central Government and Financial Services Programmes.
Before joining the team, she was working at the Magistrates' Courts in legal administration and graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2022. Ella attained an undergraduate degree in History and Politics, and a master's degree in International Relations and Security Studies, with a particular interest in studying asylum rights and gendered violence.
In her spare time she enjoys going to the gym, watching true crime documentaries, travelling, and making her best attempts to become a better cook.