Procurement Reform Readiness: Survey of councils, November 2024

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In February 2025, The Procurement Act (2023) will come into force, changing the way that public bodies – including local authorities – procure goods and services. In order to gauge councils’ awareness of and readiness for the procurement reforms, the Local Government Association (LGA) sent an online survey to Heads of Procurement of all 317 local authorities in England. The survey was open for just over three weeks and received a total of 132 responses, resulting in a response rate of 42 per cent.
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Introduction

The survey was undertaken to gauge councils’ awareness of and readiness for the procurement reforms that will come into force in February 2025. The online survey was distributed in-house by the LGA, and open for completion for just over three weeks. It was distributed to Heads of Procurement of English authorities. The survey built on a piece of research work completed by YPO in summer 2023, which engaged a broader range of public sector organisations including NHS trusts, housing associations, and government departments. This report will reference the results from YPO’s research, however, the LGA’s research engaged local authorities only, in order to understand specifically the views of local authorities.

Key findings

  • 100 per cent of respondents were aware of the Procurement Act 2023, and the vast majority felt either fully (20 per cent) or partially prepared (74 per cent) for the implementation.
  • Yet, 39 per cent of respondents had concerns over the adoption of the coming changes and 100 per cent were concerned about the increase in administrative workload.
  • 94 per cent of respondents thought that the proposed changes would make public procurement fairer, more transparent, and competitive at least to some extent.
  • Respondents felt informed about available training, with 100 per cent of respondents aware of the government’s training package and registered on the Government Commercial College site, and with 95 per cent having decided on the training needed within their authority.
  • On the whole, the results show a positive uplift in relation to awareness, understanding, and preparedness compared to the polling undertaken in summer 2023.

Methodology

The online survey was distributed by the Local Government Association’s Research and Information Team and was open between 5 and 27 November 2024.

Of the 317 local authorities in England, a total of 132 responded – a response rate of 42 per cent. Whilst these respondents may not be fully representative of all local authority Heads of Procurement, this level of response means that the results are likely to provide a good indication of the position of the sector more widely.

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