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The Central Digital Platform: Transforming Construction Procurement for Suppliers

As part of our Procurement Act expert blog series, Heidi Parker. Technical Procurement Specialist at TLT LLP, shares everything you need to know about the legislation and action you can take to make the Act work in your favour.

The UK construction industry is experiencing a digital revolution that promises to transform how suppliers engage with public sector procurement opportunities. At the heart of this transformation is the Central Digital Platform, officially known as Find a Tender, which launched on 24 February 2025 as part of the Procurement Act 2023.

What is the Central Digital Platform?

The Central Digital Platform is an enhanced Find a Tender service (FTS) and it was designed to make it easier to find and bid for contracts, and for buyers to meet their transparency commitments under the Act.

Illustration of a laptop displaying a guide on the Procurement Act, accompanied by diverse characters and a construction helmet. Find a Tender features a simple registration and identification for both suppliers and buyers, stores suppliers’ core business details that can be used for multiple bids, enables easy management and updating of core information quickly, and can be shared easily between suppliers, eSender and buyers.

The core supplier information includes:

Basic business details (name, address, Companies House number, VAT number)
Financial information from recent accounts
Connected persons information
Exclusion grounds declarations
Relevant qualifications and trade assurances

It is the responsibility of suppliers to keep this information up to date and current. However, where such information is inconsistent with something submitted in a tender, it will be the Contracting Authority’s responsibility to check this with suppliers. Another positive is that the Procurement Act Central Digital Platform is free to use for everyone and enables construction suppliers of all sizes to participate in public sector procurement without financial barriers.

Unique Identifiers and Data Integration

The platform introduces a comprehensive system of unique identifiers that benefits construction suppliers through improved data management and tracking. To ensure that published data is correctly attributed to specific parties and processes, all contracting authorities, suppliers, procurements and contracts will have a unique identifier on the central digital platform.

Enhanced Opportunity Discovery

The platform transforms how construction suppliers discover relevant opportunities through sophisticated search and notification capabilities. Find a Tender makes public procurement opportunities visible making it easier to search and set up alerts for tenders of interest for suppliers.

Construction suppliers can now:

Filter opportunities by sector, location, and contract value
Set up automated alerts for specific types of work
Access early pipeline information through Pipeline Notices
Track opportunities from initial publication through to contract award

In addition to publishing individual notices on FTS, any Contracting Authority spending over £100 million in a financial year must publish a Pipeline Notice which details all anticipated procurement over the next 12 months which exceeds £2 million, allowing suppliers to prepare well in advance, which is particularly useful for small and medium size construction companies.

Streamlined Bidding Process

The platform simplifies the bidding process in that when participating in a procurement, supplier will be able to declare that the information held within the Central Digital Platform is correct and generate a share code or download a file of their information which should reduce the time spent on administrative tasks during bid preparation.

Improved Transparency and Market Intelligence

The platform will enable everyone to view all the notices published in line with the Procurement Act and access all related public procurement data. This transparency offers construction suppliers valuable market intelligence, including:

Procurement patterns and spending trends
Contract award information showing successful suppliers and values
Performance and modifications information
Future pipeline visibility for strategic planning

And for SMEs, an alternative means of delivering contracts for the public sector as a subcontractor.

Debarment List

A clipboard with a checklist showing multiple tasks, three marked as complete with green checkmarks, and one incomplete with a red cross.

The debarment list is a new feature of the Procurement Act; it is linked to the mandatory and discretionary grounds and has the potential to prevent suppliers from securing future public contracts. Suppliers are required to declare when registering/ updating their information on the Central Digital Platform which of these grounds apply.

Where a Contracting Authority excludes a supplier based on the mandatory/ discretionary grounds this needs to be reported to the Debarment Review Service who will then investigate and determine if they should be added to the Debarment List. Suppliers can appeal this decision, although the key take away is not to get excluded in the first place and the more times this happened, the greater the risk of getting on this list.

Further guidance is available at Debarment Review Service – Scope and Remit

Technology Integration and Future Development

The platform is designed to integrate with existing procurement technologies and systems used by buyers and suppliers alike, this integration capability ensures that construction suppliers can continue using their preferred tools whilst benefiting from the centralised information management; an example of this being a Constructionline membership.

Find pre-qualified construction subcontractors with Constructionline

The role of Constructionline is complementary to the Central Digital Platform, and how they are used will be up to the Contracting Authority to decide as there is some cross over of information. Contracting Authorities may accept a Verified Constructionline membership as being sufficient, while others may require suppliers to provide a Central Digital Platform download/ code regardless of having such an accreditation and so it is important that suppliers carefully read and comply with the information requirements.

Associated Tender Documents

The Procurement Act requires Contracting Authorities to list the associated tender documents to be provided in the tender notice; however, they will usually be available from the Contracting Authority’s choice of portal rather than on the Central Digital Platform directly.

If you have trouble locating these documents, you should contact the Contracting Authority. Equally, if they do not provide you with enough information to submit a COP (Condition of Participation) or Tender, you should request any missing information promptly; noting this will be shared with all interested parties.

Practical Steps for Construction Suppliers

To maximise the benefits of the Central Digital Platform, construction suppliers should:

Register Early: Complete the registration process and populate all required supplier information thoroughly
Set Up Alerts: Configure automated notifications for relevant opportunities in your specialisms and geographic areas
Maintain Current Information: Regularly update your supplier information to ensure accuracy
Monitor Pipeline Notices: Use early visibility to plan resources and develop capabilities
Analyse Market Data: Leverage the transparency to understand market trends and competitor activity

Are there any Downsides to the Central Digital Platform?

Where a supplier is accredited by Constructionline, it may feel like the obligation to register on the Central Digital Platform is another layer of administrative burden as it needs to be kept up to date; however, that aside, it aims to simplify process and that can only be good.

Looking Forward

The construction industry’s digital transformation is accelerating, and the Central Digital Platform is at its forefront.

By embracing this change, construction suppliers can transform their construction procurement processes, reduce costs, and unlock new opportunities for growth in the evolving public sector marketplace. As the platform continues to develop and mature, construction suppliers who establish strong foundations now will be best positioned to benefit from future enhancements and capabilities. The time to act is now – the future of construction procurement has arrived.

About Heidi Parker

A person wearing a floral-patterned blouse and a black cardigan

Heidi Parker is a technical procurement specialist at TLT LLP.

With over 20 years’ experience across the public sector and construction industry, Heidi specialises in designing and delivering technical/bespoke procurement training to support any of the above service. Heidi has a passion for designing procurements that are accessible to the market and optimising competition through the development of effective award questions whilst supporting social value and being commercially focused.

Heidi also has extensive experience in conducting commercial service reviews and implementing updates and improvement in line with legislation changes, best practice, and policy considerations.

Heidi also has experience in supporting suppliers in bringing successful procurement challenges (above threshold) so should you require assistance, please get in touch. Heidi.Parker@tlt.com

About TLT

TLT LLP is a legal business law firm with locations across the UK, Europe, India and the United States.

In an unpredictable world, your business adapts and evolves to succeed, and so do we. Bringing together our expertise with efficient processes and integrated technology, we’ll anticipate change to keep you ahead of your challenges.

Whether it’s building relationships or the sustainability of our actions, we think long term – collaborating with you to put people, communities and the environment at the forefront.

Your success is our responsibility. No half measures, part of your team and with you every step of the way.

Further information about TLT LLP and Procuring 360 can be found here.

References

Blog Procurement Act, Construction Procurement, Public Sector Procurement, Main Contractors, Subcontractors