The UK Public Sector Procurement Glossary

Whether you're new to public sector sales or you just need a quick refresher, this UK public procurement glossary is here to unpack some of the most important terms you need to know in UK B2G business development.

Skip ahead to find events in your sector:

• Basic Procurement Vocabulary Glossary
• Contracting Authorities Glossary
• Social Value Glossary
• Procurement Notice Glossary
• Routes to Market Glossary
• Supplier Exclusion & Debarment Glossary

• Conclusion

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🌳  Basic Procurement Vocabulary Glossary

What is an Above-Threshold Contract?

An above-threshold contract is a public sector contract whose estimated value exceeds the financial thresholds set by UK procurement law, meaning it must follow full, regulated procurement procedures.

These thresholds are defined under the Procurement Act 2023 (and previously under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015) and are updated periodically. You can find the latest versions here.

What is the Central Digital Platform?

The Central Digital Platform (CDP) is the UK government’s single online system for managing public procurement data, notices, and supplier information under the Procurement Act 2023.

It is intended to replace fragmented systems and act as the core infrastructure for all regulated public sector procurement activity. However, not all public sector tender notices are published on the CDP, which is why tracking a range of tender portals (or using a market intelligence tool like Tussell) is important.

What is Consortium Bidding?

Consortium bidding is when two or more organisations jointly submit a single bid for a public sector contract, combining their capabilities to meet the buyer’s requirements.

Instead of competing individually, the organisations act as a single supplier entity for the purposes of the tender. This can be particularly helpful when the contract's scope includes a range of services or regions. 

What is a Contract KPI in public procurement?

A contract KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is a measurable metric used by a contracting authority to assess a supplier’s performance against agreed service, delivery, or outcome standards within a public sector contract.

KPIs are defined in the contract and are used to monitor, manage, and enforce supplier performance over time.

Contract KPIs are only required for public contracts valued at over £5m - find out more about how they work here.

What is English Devolution?

English devolution is the process of transferring powers, funding, and decision-making authority from Central Government to regional and local bodies within England.

It allows areas such as combined authorities, city regions, and local councils to control more of their own economic, transport, housing, and public service decisions.

English Devolution is an ongoing process that includes the consolidation of local authorities. For more information on the procurement implementations, download the English Devolution Report.

What is the Government Commercial Agency (GCA)?

The Government Commercial Agency (GCA) - previously known as Crown Commercial Service (CCS) - is a UK government body that recruits, develops, and deploys commercial professionals across the public sector to improve how government buys goods and services.

It sits within the Cabinet Office and is part of the wider Government Commercial Function (GCF).

The GCA is also one of the largest public sector procurement framework providers.

What is an Invitation to Tender (ITT)?

An Invitation to Tender (ITT) is a formal document issued by a contracting authority that invites suppliers to submit a detailed bid for a specific public sector contract.

It marks the stage in the procurement process where requirements, evaluation criteria, and contract terms are fully defined, and suppliers are asked to compete.

What is the Procurement Act 2023?

The Procurement Act refers to the UK’s legal framework governing how public sector organisations buy goods, services, and works. The Act - which primarily applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland (not Scotland) -replaced the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 when it came into force in February 2025.

To learn more about the Procurement Act - and what it means for your business - head to Tussell's free-to-access Procurement Act Hub.

What is a Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ)?

The Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) is a standardised document introduced by the Procurement Act 2023 to replace the Standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ). Serving as a pre-qualification tool for contracting authorities, the PSQ allows suppliers to demonstrate compliance and capability when bidding for government contracts. Learn more about the PSQ here.

What is a Strategic Supplier?

The strategic suppliers are a list of 39 key suppliers designated by the Cabinet Office as critical to delivering major services, programmes, or infrastructure.

They are typically large, high-value contractors with significant spend, long-term Central Government contracts, or cross-government presence. (See our strategic suppliers analysis here). 

The NHS Strategic Suppliers are a separate list of 15 firms that play a vital role in supporting the NHS’s operations, whether through essential medicines, diagnostics, technology or infrastructure.

💸 Contracting Authority Glossary

What is a Contracting Authority?

A contracting authority is a public sector organisation that procures goods, services, or works and is legally required to follow UK procurement rules when doing so.

In simple terms, it is the buyer in a public sector contract.

Different contracting authorities are subject to different regulations based on country (eg. Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland) or type (eg. Central Government, Local Government, etc.).

What is an Arms-Length Body (ALB)?

An Arm’s Length Body (ALB) is an organisation that is funded by and accountable to government but operates with a degree of independence from direct ministerial control.

They are used to deliver specific functions - such as regulation, service delivery, or advisory roles - without being part of a Central Government department.

Market intelligence platforms like Tussell enable you to build pipeline within specific ALBs - or group all agencies together under their umbrella departments.

What is an Integrated Care Board (ICB)?

An Integrated Care Board (ICB) is a statutory NHS organisation responsible for planning, funding, and commissioning healthcare services for a defined local population in England.

ICBs were established in July 2022 under the Health and Care Act 2022, replacing Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).

ICBs control significant NHS budgets and are responsible for: planning local health services, allocating funding, commissioning services, and improving population health outcomes.

In some markets, Integrated Care Boards will conduct procurement for the whole respective Integrated Care System, including for relevant NHS Trusts.

What is an Integrated Care System (ICS)?

An Integrated Care System (ICS) is a partnership of NHS organisations, local authorities, and other stakeholders that work together to plan and deliver joined-up health and care services for a defined population in England.

What is a Unitary Authority?

A unitary authority is a type of local government in England that is responsible for all local services within its area, combining the functions of both county and district councils into a single organisation. As of 2026, examples include Cornwall Council and Bristol City Council.

Many unitary authorities have been created through local government reorganisation, replacing previous two-tier systems consisting of county councils and district/borough councils.

In procurement, unitary authorities are responsible for education, social care, housing, waste, transport, local services, and public health.

📜 Procurement Notice Glossary

What is a Contract Award Notice?

A Contract Award Notice is a formal notice published by a contracting authority to announce the outcome of a procurement process, including which supplier has been awarded the contract.

Tracking contract award notices on platforms like Tussell can enable you to build a pipeline of expiring contracts in your sector for business development purposes.

What is a Contract Change Notice?

A Contract Change Notice is a formal notice published by a contracting authority to disclose any material modification to an existing public sector contract.

This includes changes to the contract value, term length or scope.

What is a Contract Details Notice?

A Contract Details Notice is a formal notice published by a contracting authority that provides detailed information about a public sector contract after it has been awarded.

Published after a Contract Award Notice, it often contains more qualitative information on the contract itself - which is why Tussell merges the most valuable information from both notices to help inform public sector business development teams.

What is a Contract Performance Notice?

A Contract Performance Notice is a formal notice published by a contracting authority to report on a supplier’s performance against specific key performance indicators (KPIs) in a public sector contract.

KPIs are only mandatory for public contracts valued at £5m or more - but may also be used in lower value procurements. Learn more about KPIs here.

What is a Contract Termination Notice?

A Contract Termination Notice is a formal notice published by a contracting authority to announce that a public sector contract has been ended, either at its planned expiry or before its intended end date.

What is a Pipeline Notice?

A Pipeline Notice is a forward-looking notice published by a contracting authority to signal upcoming procurement opportunities before they are formally tendered.

A useful tool for public sector pipeline building, you can filter for relevant pipeline notices in the Tussell platform.

What is a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PME)?

A Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PME Notice) is a notice published by a contracting authority to signal that it is engaging with the market before launching a formal procurement.

Tracking these is critical in public sector sales, as early engagement gives suppliers the opportunity to inform requirements and positioning before a tender is issued.

What is a Tender Notice?

A Tender Notice is a formal notice published by a contracting authority to announce a new procurement opportunity and invite suppliers to compete for a contract.

Whilst many firms track tender notices, this is a largely reactive approach - by this stage, requirements are often already shaped through prior supplier engagement.

What is a Transparency Notice?

A Transparency Notice is a formal notice published by a contracting authority to declare its intention to award a contract without running a full competitive procurement.

❌ Supplier Exclusion & Debarment Glossary

What is the Central Debarment List?

The Central Debarment List is a UK government register of suppliers that are excluded or restricted from participating in public sector procurements due to serious misconduct or poor performance.

As of April 2026, there are no firms listed on the Central Debarment List.

What is Supplier Debarment?

Supplier debarment is the process by which a supplier is formally excluded from participating in public sector procurements due to serious misconduct, non-compliance, or poor performance.

Under the Procurement Act 2023, debarment can result in a supplier being placed on the Central Debarment List, restricting or preventing them from winning new public contracts.

What is Supplier Exclusion?

Supplier exclusion is the process by which a contracting authority disqualifies a supplier from participating in a specific procurement due to legal, financial, or performance-related risks.

Under the Procurement Act 2023, exclusion is governed by defined exclusion grounds, which determine when a supplier must or may be excluded.

🛣️ Routes to Market Glossary

What is the Competitive Flexible Procedure (CFP)?

The Competitive Flexible Procedure (CFP) is the main procurement procedure introduced under the Procurement Act 2023, allowing contracting authorities to design their own competitive process rather than follow fixed, prescriptive procedures.

Tussell research shows that the CFP is used in around 20% of above-threshold procurements.

What is a Direct Award?

A direct award is when a contracting authority awards a public sector contract to a supplier without running a full competitive tender process.

Instead of inviting multiple suppliers to bid, the buyer selects a supplier without competition, relying on a permitted justification.

What is a Dynamic Market?

A Dynamic Market is a procurement mechanism under the Procurement Act 2023 that allows contracting authorities to continuously admit new suppliers and run competitions for contracts within that market.

What is a Framework Agreement?

A framework agreement is a procurement arrangement that sets out the terms, conditions, and supplier list for future contracts, allowing public sector buyers to award work without running a full tender each time.

It is one of the most common routes to market in UK public sector procurement - and its prevalence continues to increase.

With over 4,000 live frameworks in the UK public sector market, Tussell customers are able to uncover which ones actually unlock government opportunities.

What is a Framework Lot?

A framework lot is a subdivision within a framework agreement that groups suppliers and opportunities by specific criteria, such as service type, sector, geography, or contract value.

Lots are used to structure frameworks into distinct categories, allowing buyers to target the most relevant suppliers.

What is G-Cloud?

G-Cloud is a UK government framework agreement that allows public sector organisations to buy cloud-based services through a pre-approved list of suppliers.

What is a Mini Competition?

A mini competition is a procurement process where a contracting authority invites a subset of pre-approved suppliers on a framework agreement to compete for a specific contract.

It is used to award call-off contracts within a framework.

What is an Open Framework?

An Open Framework is a type of framework agreement introduced under the Procurement Act 2023 that allows new suppliers to join at defined intervals during its lifetime, rather than being closed after the initial award.

It is designed to address one of the main limitations of traditional frameworks: restricted access.

🛣️ Social Value Glossary

What is MEAT vs MAT in public procurement?

MEAT and MAT are evaluation approaches used in public procurement to determine how contracts are awarded.

• MEAT = Most Economically Advantageous Tender
• MAT = Most Advantageous Tender

The shift from MEAT to MAT is part of the Procurement Act 2023.

What is Social Value?

Social value refers to the additional economic, social, and environmental benefits that a supplier delivers through a public sector contract, beyond the core goods or services being procured.

Under the Procurement Act 2023, social value must be weighted at a minimum of 10% in public contracting.

What is the TOMS Social Value Model?

The TOMs Social Value Model (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) is a framework used to define, measure, and evaluate social value in public sector contracts.

It was developed by the Social Value Portal and is widely used by local authorities and other public bodies to quantify social value commitments in a consistent way.

🌅  Conclusion