- Introduction to the Procurement Act 2023
- Key actions for suppliers
- What is the Central Digital Platform (CDP)?
- What will this mean for suppliers?
- When can suppliers register?
- How do I register on the Central Digital Platform?
- What information will be required for supplier registration on the Central Digital Platform (CDP)?
- What does my unique supplier ID look like?
- How can I find my unique supplier ID
- How do I link my unique supplier ID to Sell2Wales?
- Sharing your unique supplier ID as part of a Sell2Wales notice submission
- Accessing your supplier core information on the Central Digital Platform (CDP)
- Additional resources for suppliers
- Contact us
Public procurement law is changing following the introduction of the new Procurement Act 2023 and associated Regulations which are scheduled to go live on 24 February 2025. If you are a business that supplies goods, works or services to the Welsh public sector you need to know about these changes and our plans to prepare stakeholders for its implementation.
This important piece of legislation will transform the way that Welsh contracting authorities buy goods, services and works, bringing a range of benefits to suppliers, including:
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A Central Digital Platform (CDP): Suppliers will be able to register and store their details so that they can be used for multiple bids.
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Visibility of procurement plans: Improved transparency measures will allow suppliers to see Welsh contracting authorities’ procurement notices on Sell2Wales and the central digital platform, including pipelines of future opportunities for contracts over £2 million. This will give suppliers more time to gear up to deliver, either as prime contractors, members of consortia or sub‑contractors in the supply chain.
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Simplified bidding processes: Simplified processes will make it easier for suppliers to bid, negotiate and work in partnership with the Welsh public sector.
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Flexible procedures: The new Competitive Flexible procedure will allow Welsh contracting authorities to design their own procurement process, which is particularly beneficial for complex, high tech or innovative solutions.
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Flexible commercial frameworks: The new open frameworks are more flexible so prospective suppliers are not shut out for long periods of time.
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Duty to consider SMEs: A duty on Welsh contracting authorities to have regard to the barriers facing SMEs and to consider how they can be overcome will help smaller businesses compete for more public contracts.
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Prompt payment: Strengthened provisions for prompt payment throughout the supply chain will enable SMEs to benefit from 30-day payment terms on a broader range of public sector contracts.
These changes will drive innovation, deliver better outcomes and embed transparency right throughout the commercial lifecycle, so everyone can access procurement data and see how public money is spent.
While the Procurement Act doesn’t really govern suppliers directly, it aims to make it easier for you to do business with the public and utility sectors, so you need to understand what it means for your organisation.
We encourage all suppliers to view the series of short ‘Knowledge Drop’ training videos, which have been tailored specifically for suppliers, including SMEs and VCSEs.
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- Registration: Make sure you register on the Central Digital Platform (CDP) once this is available to obtain your unique supplier ID and to see all notices published under the Procurement Act.
- Core Information: Make sure you complete the core supplier information on the central digital platform if you wish to tender for public sector contracts.
- Update your Sell2Wales profile: Make sure you upload your unique supplier ID to Sell2Wales to continue to be able to tender for contracts
- Payment term: Be aware of the 30-day payment term implied into every “public sub-contract”
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The Central Digital Platform (CDP) will be where all UK contracting authorities publish information relating to procurement. It is also the place where identifiers are recorded and/or issued and for suppliers to input their commonly used information. It will be a fully integrated digital platform where noticing, sign-in and registration, supplier information all work together to support public sector procurement.
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Suppliers will use the Central Digital Platform (CDP) to register, input and then share their commonly used information as part of the procurement process.
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There is no hurry to register. Suppliers only need to register at the point that they want to bid for a contract after the law comes into force on 24 February 2025.
Registering and entering their supplier information should be straightforward and quick, especially if they have to hand all of the information that they need before they begin.
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The Central Digital Platform will be accessed through the Find a Tender service, to create your unique supplier ID, you will be required to register on Find a Tender account. If you already have a Find a Tender, you will be required to re-register and enter your organisation information
The Central Digital Platform can be accessed here: Find high value contracts in the public sector - GOV.UK.
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Suppliers will be required to submit their core business information which can then be shared across multiple bids and customers. This includes business information and records of accreditations and financial information. Depending on the structure of your business, this also includes information such as connected persons.
Suppliers will also need to declare accuracy of this information. The good news is that once this is completed it will be simple to review it and re-use it every time for each tender. We suggest you start getting this ready now in preparation for go-live.
To complete registration, you will need:
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Basic Information: Name, address, Companies House number (or equivalent, e.g. Charity number), VAT Number (if applicable), relevant qualifications or trade assurances and whether the organisation is a SME, VCSE or public mutual.
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Financial information: Copies of your accounts from the most recent financial years.
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Connected Persons: Names, addresses and details on any connected persons to the business (e.g. persons with significant control). These are individuals or organisations who have influence or control over the supplier.
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Exclusions: Details of any discretionary or mandatory exclusions for the supplier or connected persons as set out in schedules 6 & 7 of the Procurement Act 2023.
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Each supplier will have a unique ID number associated to their organisation, in the format of: PPON AAAA-1111-AAAA.
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Sign-in to your Central Digital Platform (CDP) account, and from the My Account page, click ‘View’ next to your supplier’s name under the heading My organisations.
From the Organisations Details page, you can view your unique supplier ID (Organisation identifier).
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Once you have registered on the Central Digital Platform (CDP) and been allocated a unique supplier ID (Organisation identifier), you will be required to upload it to Sell2Wales. To do this you will need to sign into Sell2Wales and access your Supplier Control Panel. From your supplier control panel, click ‘Company profile’ under the heading My profile.
From Company settings, go to the Central Digital Platform (CDP) section, and enter your supplier ID into the Unique Identifier input box.
Once entered, click ‘Save changes’
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A key objective of the Act is to reduce the burden on suppliers by storing ‘core supplier information’ in one place: the central digital platform (CDP). Core supplier information is the data that is required for every procurement and that usually remains relatively unchanged from procurement to procurement. A summary of the information required is as follows:.
- supplier information: basic information. This includes (and is not limited to) the supplier’s name, unique identifier, address, VAT number (if applicable), legal form and date of company registration (if applicable), details of qualifications/trade associations and classification, for example whether the supplier is an SME and/or a public service mutual.
- supplier information: economic and financial standing as set out in the supplier’s most recent financial accounts.
- supplier information: connected persons. This includes (but is not limited to) information relating to relevant connected persons such as names, date of birth and nationality, service address and legal form.
- supplier information: exclusion grounds. This includes information relating to relevant convictions and events that form either a mandatory or discretionary exclusion ground under the Act.
When submitting a tender on Sell2Wales for a public contract that is the under the new Procurement regime, you will be required to upload your unique supplier ID and share your core supplier information stored on the CDP.
The contracting authority (Buyer) will let you know how to share your core supplier information stored on the CDP.
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Sign-in to your Central Digital Platform (CDP) account, and from the My Account page, click ‘View’ next to your supplier’s name under the heading My organisations.
From the Organisations Details page, click ‘Complete Supplier Information’.
From the Supplier information page, click ‘Share my information’.
From the Share your supplier information page, click ‘Create a share code’ and fill in all required information.
Once done, a share code will be created that can be shared with contracting authorities (Buyers), and you will also be able to download your supplier information which can be uploaded as part of any tender response.
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Procurement Act 2023 guidance and resources: GOV.WALES page
General Sell2Wales resources: Help and resources for Suppliers - Sell2Wales
Training videos: Knowledge Drop
Central Digital Platform guidance: Guidance: Central Digital Platform and Publication of Information (HTML) - GOV.UK
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If you have any queries regarding the Procurement Act or the associated regulations please email: ProcurementReformTeam@gov.wales.
If you have any technical queries regarding Sell2Wales and how to upload your supplier ID please contact us here.
If you are experiencing problems using the Central Digital Platform you can contact, their service support team here.
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