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UK supplier guide

Public Contracts Regulations 2015:
when PCR still applies

The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) were revoked by the Procurement Act 2023, but they still govern every procurement commenced before 24 February 2025 and every contract, framework and dynamic purchasing system awarded under them, until those end.

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Checked against primary sources5 sources linked below

  1. Read the notice's legal basis

    This guide’s primary sources

  2. Find when it commenced

    This guide’s primary sources

  3. Use that regime's documents

    This guide’s primary sources

  4. Check the arrangement's life

    This guide’s primary sources

  1. Date of commencement decides

    Before 24 February 2025 means PCR 2015, for the life of the contract.

    This guide’s primary sources

  2. Nearly a fifth of the record

    12,704 of the year’s Find a Tender records cite the PCR directive.

    This guide’s primary sources

  3. DPSs end in 2029

    Every PCR DPS expires by the end of 23 February 2029.

    This guide’s primary sources

Does PCR 2015 or the Procurement Act apply to this tender?

The date the procurement was commenced decides it, not the date you see the notice.

A public procurement in England, Wales or Northern Ireland

What counts as “commenced” under PCR 2015?

Publishing a call for competition, or contacting a supplier to start a direct award, before 24 February 2025.

Before 24 February 2025 the buyer had…Rule
Awarded the contract, concluded the framework agreement or established the DPSSI 2024/716, reg 5(3)(a)
Submitted a contract notice for publicationreg 5(3)(c)
Published a below-threshold opportunity on Contracts Finderreg 5(3)(e)
Contacted a supplier to start a negotiated procedure without prior publication (PCR reg 32)reg 5(3)(b)
Published a voluntary transparency notice of its intention to awardreg 5(3)(d)
The Procurement Act 2023 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2024, regulation 5, as amended, and the transitional guidance, read 24 October 2026. A sub-central authority’s prior information notice used as a call for competition before 26 May 2023 also counts.

How do you work out which rules a tender is under?

Read the legal basis and the commencement date before the documents.

  1. Start with the source01

    Read the notice's legal basis

    2023/54 is the Act; Directive 2014/24/EU means PCR 2015.
  2. Define the scope02

    Find when it commenced

    A contract notice or supplier contact before 24 February 2025 means PCR.
  3. Read the evidence03

    Use that regime's documents

    The SQ under PCR, the PSQ and platform under the Act.
  4. Make the decision04

    Check the arrangement's life

    PCR frameworks run to their last call-off; PCR DPSs end by 23 February 2029.
  5. Name the next action05

    Follow that regime's remedies and notices

    Changes and notices follow the regime the contract was awarded under.

A supplier’s review sequence, based on the primary sources below. It is not a measured outcome or a prescribed buyer timetable.

How much of the market still runs under PCR 2015?

Nearly one Find a Tender record in five in the last twelve months cited the 2014 directive that PCR 2015 implements.

Find a Tender records, by legal basis1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2026September 2026
Procurement Act 202357,5056,642
PCR 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)12,7041,236
of which awards and award updates9,793—
of which tenders and tender updates2,143—
of which planning notices768—
RFP Quest corpus: Find a Tender records by the legal basis each record declares (2023/54 or 32014L0024), by publication date, queried 24 October 2026. Utilities (Directive 2014/25/EU) and Contracts Finder records are not counted; a procurement can have several records. UK counts only; EU TED notices are never added.

When do PCR frameworks and DPSs finally end?

A PCR framework lasts until its last call-off ends; every PCR DPS ends by 23 February 2029.

A framework agreement set up under PCR keeps running under PCR until the last contract awarded under it ends (guidance, para 6c).

A PCR dynamic purchasing system’s validity could not be changed after 23 February 2026 and expires, if it has not already, at the end of 23 February 2029 (reg 5(4)(b)).

  1. PCR 2015 applies

    Procedures commenced before this date stayed under the 2006 rules (PCR reg 118).

    PCR 2015

  2. Procurement Act in force

    New procurements run under the Act; PCR is revoked but saved.

    SI 2024/716

  3. DPS terms frozen

    A PCR DPS’s period of validity may not be changed after this date.

    reg 5(4)(b)(i)

  4. Last PCR DPS ends

    Any PCR DPS still running expires at the end of this day.

    reg 5(4)(b)(ii)

Which PCR 2015 procedures will you still meet?

Five competitive procedures and the negotiated procedure without prior publication, in place of the Act’s two.

PCR procedures

  1. Open and restricted

    Anyone may tender, or the buyer shortlists first (regs 27 and 28).

    PCR reg 26

  2. Negotiation and dialogue

    Competitive procedure with negotiation and competitive dialogue, only where reg 26(4) allows (regs 29 and 30).

    PCR reg 26(4)

  1. Anyone may tender, or the buyer shortlists first (regs 27 and 28).

    PCR reg 26

  2. Competitive procedure with negotiation and competitive dialogue, only where reg 26(4) allows (regs 29 and 30).

    PCR reg 26(4)

  3. Available under reg 26(3)(b) and regulated by reg 31.

    PCR reg 26(3)

  4. A direct award in the cases reg 32 lists, with no call for competition.

    PCR reg 26(2)

Read the legal basis on the notice before you read anything else.

  1. Date of commencement decides

    Before 24 February 2025 means PCR 2015, for the life of the contract.

  2. Nearly a fifth of the record

    12,704 of the year’s Find a Tender records cite the PCR directive.

  3. DPSs end in 2029

    Every PCR DPS expires by the end of 23 February 2029.
Search current UK tenders →

Free search across Find a Tender and Contracts Finder; open the notice to see which rules it was published under.

What else should you know about Public Contracts Regulations 2015?

Check these points before committing your team’s time.

Has the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 been repealed?
Revoked, by section 119 of and Schedule 11 to the Procurement Act 2023, but saved: the 2015 Regulations continue to apply to procurements, contracts, framework agreements and dynamic purchasing systems in the circumstances listed in regulation 5 of SI 2024/716.
How do I tell whether a tender is under PCR 2015 or the Procurement Act?
Read the notice. A Find a Tender notice states its legal basis: the Act's notices cite 2023/54, PCR notices cite Directive 2014/24/EU. Act notices also use the Act's notice types, such as a tender notice or a contract details notice.
Can a PCR framework still award call-offs in 2026?
Yes. A framework agreement concluded under PCR before 24 February 2025 continues under PCR until the end of the last contract awarded under it during its term (guidance, para 6). New frameworks are set up under the Act; see how frameworks work.
Which rules govern changes to a PCR contract?
PCR regulation 72, with notices under PCR regulations 51 and 72, not a contract change notice under section 75 of the Act (guidance, para 5).
Does PCR 2015 still require payment within 30 days?
Yes, for contracts it governs: regulation 113 requires payment of undisputed invoices within 30 days, with its reporting periods adjusted by regulation 5(4)(c). Contracts under the Act have their own 30-day term.

Where can you check the evidence?

Read the primary publication and the buyer’s current documents before acting.

SourceWhat it supports
The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/102) · legislation.gov.uk ↗Contents, procedures and transitional provision, read 24 October 2026.
PCR 2015 regulation 26, choice of procedures ↗Procedures available and when negotiation is allowed.
SI 2024/716 regulation 5 · legislation.gov.uk ↗What keeps PCR 2015 alive, and the DPS end dates.
Guidance: transitional and saving arrangements · Cabinet Office ↗What counts as commenced; contract management and notices.
Procurement Act 2023 · legislation.gov.uk ↗Revocation by section 119 and Schedule 11.
Follow the current primary publication for its scope and any later changes. Calculators use your inputs, not measured savings.

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