'Money-saving' UK procurement platform racks up monster tab
- Reference: 1759229048
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/09/30/uk_procurement_platform_bill/
- Source link:
Introducing the Procurement Act 2023, the government said it would streamline the online portal for the public sector to flag upcoming work and suppliers to engage with buyers and bid for jobs.
The UK currently runs two platforms for public procurement: contractsfinder.service.gov.uk, and find-tender.service.gov.uk.
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Introducing the plans under the former Conservative government, Jacob Rees-Mogg, then Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency, said the government wanted to establish "a single digital platform for supplier registration that ensures businesses only have to submit their data once to qualify for any public sector procurement. This will integrate procurements across the country and provide a consistent data storage facility to improve transparency."
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At the same time, according to his projections in 2022, anticipated ongoing running costs would be £1.5 million a year from 2024/25 to 2030/31.
However, two Cabinet Office procurement notices that have recently come to light show these projections undershoot the actual costs by a considerable margin.
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From procurement notices earlier this year, consultancy EY was awarded £17 million over two years to be a "Digital Delivery Partner for the Central Digital Platform (CDP)."
EY will run "a transformation programme supporting the digital delivery of Transforming Public Procurement. The CDP will drive greater efficiency in the procurement process for both government and suppliers and enable greater effectiveness and transparency across £300 billion annual UK Government's procurement spend," [5]the notice said .
[6]UK.gov ditching 'Red' risk data sharing project after slashing £0.5B budget in half
[7]'Technical debt' in police database built to respond to child murders causing a 'failing service'
[8]UK.gov decides tech projects worth billions are major but not 'mega'
[9]Home Office delays £816M English test contract despite market engagement
The contract is set to run from February 2025 until February 2027. It says it will be developed from the existing Find a Tender Service (FTS).
Meanwhile, [10]a separate contract award has been made to Goaco Group for £8 million over two years for the "Provision of Support and Maintenance for the Central Digital Platform." That contract is expected to run from April 2025 until April 2027.
To sum up, a platform once expected to cost £1.5 million a year now looks closer to £12 million. Even if you discount the transformation program, likely to address business change and training, the £4 million annual costs for maintenance are more than double that expected.
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In separate news, public sector researchers Tussell have recently shown that UK public sector spending on consultants has fallen slightly from £3.3 billion in 2023/24 to £3.2 billion in 2024/25. Against this backdrop, the increased spending on the procurement platform itself looks even starker.
The Cabinet Office has been offered the opportunity to comment. ®
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[5] https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/df9fc714-eb2b-4f8e-af8c-618d601cf6a5
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/23/idp_closing/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/22/police_database_built_to_respond/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/15/ukgov_decides_tech_projects_are/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/10/home_office_language_test/
[10] https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/c08da63e-c374-4431-93a3-570671c8fbac
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[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Set up by a brexiter
Performed as one would expect.
Brexit, the shit that keeps on shitting.
Re: Set up by a brexiter
Sorry, just how is this anything to do with Brexit?
Public Sector procurement has been hamstrung by regulation for decades all to "save money". I did tenders under EU rules and after Brexit, the procedures and restrictions are pretty much the same with everything revolving round a handful of well known outfits providing solutions or services.
Now add in the various frameworks that allow procurement to bypass some of the process because the framework allegedly has pre-approved suppliers. Again the outcome is more expensive.
Public Sector procurement rules exist to:
Protect the organisation issuing the ITT from being sued by unsuccessful respondents
Allow the Private Sector to milk every last ££££ they can from the public purse.
That you cannot use real experience of a supplier to mark them down has been one of the biggest issues for a very long time. Again this is nothing to do with Brexit, it existing as part of EU procurement rules.
I must have missed that we had a BOGE department under Jacob Rees Mog. Was the correct way to pronounced it "bodge" or "bogie"...?
"boggy"?
The old "transformation" racket. It's hardly out of the box before it needs "transforming". Here's the bill.
"under the former Conservative government, Jacob Rees-Mogg, then Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency"
Yeah, I think I can see your problem there
Shocked
A government attempt to save money costs loads more than expected. I am shocked they dont just call it 'investment' like all the other money they throw away