Thoughts From: Resolution Interiors – What Does The Procurement Act 2023 Mean for SME Fit-Out Contractors Like Resolution Interiors?

As a national fit-out contractor, Resolution Interiors, much like the rest of the UK public sector construction providers, was waiting for a significant shift in public sector procurement so had been preparing for the opportunities and challenges that the new legislation was going to bring.  

Fortunately for us, and our modest procurement team, it’s not been quite the 180 we had perhaps envisioned (and potentially feared). With its core aim of simplifying and modernising procurements, making them more transparent, competitive and accessible for businesses of all sizes, we see this as only being beneficial for SME’s like us – changing the way we tender, win and deliver projects.  

One of the key benefits to us is the emphasis on value for money – MEAT to MAT. While we are not foolish in thinking that the public purse or delivering incremental value no longer matters, we are thrilled that the act encourages a broader consideration and evaluation of bids – considering social value, sustainability and innovation. This is such a welcome change for specialists like RI who prioritise quality, value and long-term impacts and the lifecycle of our projects, as we don’t have the ability to go head-to-head with some of the larger contractors on cost alone.  

With new opportunities, of course come new responsibilities – the stricter requirements on transparency, compliance and reporting is a great way to root out poor performers in the industry (both contractor and clients). We are ready to demonstrate our compliance through our accreditations, our ISO-compliant operating systems, and our industry best practice. Our Head of Governance has been at the helm reviewing our processes to ensure that we can demonstrate our due diligence and alignment with the new Procurement Act 2023 expectations, both internally and throughout our supply chain. 

One of the things that we have been most looking forward to is the shift to the Central Digital Platform which we predict will provide clients with both more choice in the marketplace, and a higher response to tender opportunities. As an SME we don’t have a huge department for procurement so have to be smart and efficient with our capture and procurement activities. This new streamlined, single platform, with very clear mandated notifications is going to be a game-changer for us and is going to support our endeavour to be laser-focused in our activity which will allow us to spend our time on preparing quality bids, rather than time trying to find them.  

For SMEs like Resolution Interiors, the Act promises greater accessibility and aims to level the playing field, breaking down those barriers to entry, presenting us with new opportunities to compete for public sector work. In order to position ourselves in a way that can ebb and flow with these changes, over the past year we have developed a good understanding of the potential implications to ourselves and to our clients, and have initiated the relevant changes to our procurement processes to ensure we are fit to navigate the months ahead while continuing to deliver high quality projects, stay agile, compliant and thrive in this evolving procurement landscape.