Planned Procurement Notice

Early market engagement benefits both buyers and suppliers. Buyers get better-informed bids and a more competitive field; suppliers get time to form teams, prepare evidence, and calibrate their bid strategy. The Procurement Act 2023 formalises this early signalling through the planned procurement notice, which serves as an advance announcement that a competition is coming before the buyer is ready to publish the full tender notice.

What is a planned procurement notice?

A planned procurement notice is a notice published on Find a Tender that signals a buyer's intention to run a forthcoming procurement competition. It is published before the tender notice and typically includes a description of the goods, services, or works to be procured, an estimated contract value, and an indicative timetable for when the competition will launch.

One of the practical incentives for publishing a planned procurement notice is a reduction in the minimum tender period. Under the Procurement Act 2023, if a buyer publishes a planned procurement notice at least 40 days before issuing the tender notice, it may use a reduced minimum tender period for the subsequent competition. This means buyers who plan early and communicate their intentions in advance can run faster competitions without breaching the Act's procedural requirements.

The planned procurement notice is distinct from the pipeline notice. A pipeline notice covers an entire buyer's annual programme at a high level and is mandatory for buyers spending over GBP 100 million per year. A planned procurement notice relates to a specific forthcoming competition and may be published by any covered buyer, regardless of overall spend level, as a voluntary or procedurally advantageous step.

Why it matters for bidders

A planned procurement notice gives you a head start. If you identify a planned procurement notice for a contract in your sector before the tender notice is published, you have weeks or months to assess the opportunity, review the indicative specification, initiate conversations with potential subcontractors or consortium partners, develop your win themes, and gather the evidence you will need for the bid.

Monitoring Find a Tender and Contracts Finder for planned procurement notices in your target sectors is therefore an essential complement to monitoring for active tender notices. The planned procurement notice is the earliest official signal that a competition is coming.

Example

A university publishes a planned procurement notice in January for a facilities management services contract, indicating the competition will launch in April with an estimated value of GBP 6 million over five years. A facilities management company monitoring Find a Tender sees the notice, contacts the university's commercial team to register interest, begins assembling a consortium, and commissions social value evidence that it knows will form part of the award criteria. By the time the tender notice is published, the company has a three-month head start over competitors who were not monitoring planned notices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is publishing a planned procurement notice mandatory?

No. It is optional for most procurements, though buyers have a strong practical incentive to publish one because it allows them to use a shorter minimum tender period when the competition launches. Some procurement frameworks and government guidance encourage publication as a matter of good practice.

Does a planned procurement notice commit the buyer to running the competition?

No. It is a notice of intent, not a binding commitment. If plans change, the buyer should update or withdraw the notice. If the procurement is cancelled entirely, a procurement termination notice should be published.

Can I contact the buyer after seeing a planned procurement notice?

Yes, and this is often the best time to do so. Pre-market engagement before the tender is issued is encouraged under the Act's procurement objectives. The buyer is generally willing to discuss requirements and receive market intelligence before formal publication, provided they do not share information that would unfairly advantage one supplier.