UK public procurement runs on acronyms. PCR, PA 2023, ITT, SQ, MAT, DM, CDP, PPN, TOMs, SSIP, BICSc, SIA, TUPE. By the third page of a tender pack you stop reading and start guessing. This page is the cheat sheet so you do not have to.
- PCR 2015 is the old EU-derived rules. PA 2023 (the Procurement Act 2023) replaced it for new procurements from 24 February 2025.
- MAT (Most Advantageous Tender) replaced MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender) under PA 2023. Quality and social value carry more weight.
- SQ (Selection Questionnaire) replaced PQQ (Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) for the pre-bid stage.
- CDP (Central Digital Platform) is the new mandatory single supplier registration on Find a Tender.
- DM (Dynamic Market) replaced DPS (Dynamic Purchasing System). Apply any time. Stay on the list.
- PPN (Procurement Policy Note) tells you about new policy. PPN 002 governs Social Value scoring from 1 October 2025.
What's in this cheat sheet¶
- The big regulatory acronyms
- Tender stage acronyms (PQQ, SQ, ITT, RFP)
- Notice and platform acronyms (FTS, CF, CDP)
- Procedure acronyms (DM, DPS, PMEN)
- Scoring and social value (MAT, TOMs, PPN, KPI)
- Soft FM compliance (SSIP, CHAS, SMAS, PAS 91, CAS)
- Sector-specific accreditations
- Employment and contract acronyms (TUPE, NLW, NEC, JCT)
- Oversight bodies (CCS, PRU, HSE, UKAS, ICO)
The big regulatory acronyms¶
| Acronym | Full name | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| PCR 2015 | Public Contracts Regulations 2015 | The old EU-derived rules. Still applies to procurements that started before 24 February 2025. |
| PA 2023 | Procurement Act 2023 | The new Act, live for new procurements from 24 February 2025. Replaces PCR 2015. |
| CCR 2016 | Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 | Old rules for concession contracts. Folded into PA 2023. |
| UCR 2016 | Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 | Old rules for utility procurements. Also folded into PA 2023. |
| OJEU | Official Journal of the European Union | The old EU-wide tender notices portal. Replaced by Find a Tender for the UK after Brexit. |
The framework acronyms behind every UK public-sector tender.
Tender stage acronyms¶
These are the words you see on a tender pack as it moves from notice to contract.
| Acronym | Full name | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| ITT | Invitation to Tender | The formal pack inviting you to bid. Includes spec, scoring, and contract terms. |
| RFP | Request for Proposal | Mostly a private-sector or US term. Same idea as ITT. |
| RFQ | Request for Quotation | Below-threshold, price-led. A buyer wants a quick quote on a defined scope. |
| PQQ | Pre-Qualification Questionnaire | Old name. Replaced by SQ under PA 2023. Some buyers still use the word loosely. |
| SQ | Selection Questionnaire | The standard selection tool under PA 2023. Insurance, accounts, accreditations, modern slavery, GDPR. |
| ESPD | European Single Procurement Document | Old EU self-declaration form. Largely superseded by SQ in the UK. |
| BAFO | Best and Final Offer | Final price round in a multi-stage Competitive Flexible procedure. |
| MAT | Most Advantageous Tender | How a winning bid is chosen under PA 2023. Replaces MEAT. |
| MEAT | Most Economically Advantageous Tender | Old PCR 2015 award standard. Replaced by MAT. |
What you'll see at each stage of a UK public-sector tender.
For a fuller plain-English explanation of how SQ replaced PQQ, see the dedicated PAS 91 and SQ guide.
Notice and platform acronyms¶
| Acronym | Full name | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| CDP | Central Digital Platform | The mandatory single supplier registration under PA 2023. One profile, every public bid. |
| FTS | Find a Tender Service | Front door to the CDP. Above-threshold UK tenders (over £139,688 inc. VAT). Now also covers more notices below. |
| CF | Contracts Finder | Below-threshold English public-sector tenders. Mandatory above £12,000 (central gov) and £30,000 (sub-central) under PA 2023. |
| PCS | Public Contracts Scotland | Scottish public sector tenders. Devolved portal, not duplicated to FTS. |
| S2W | Sell2Wales | Welsh public bodies. Devolved portal. |
| eTendersNI | (no acronym expansion) | Northern Ireland departments and trusts. Devolved portal. |
| PMEN | Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | Buyer is consulting the market before tendering. Your chance to shape the spec. |
| CPV | Common Procurement Vocabulary | 8-digit codes that classify what is being procured. Set CPV alerts to filter your sector. |
The portals and notices that publish UK public-sector contracts.
If you want to know which tender alert services and free portals to use day to day, see the best free UK tender sites and the best paid tender alert services comparisons.
Procedure acronyms¶
| Acronym | Full name | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| DM | Dynamic Market | New under PA 2023. Always-open pre-qualified pool. Apply any time. Replaces DPS. |
| DPS | Dynamic Purchasing System | Old name under PCR 2015. Replaced by DM. Some legacy DPSs still running until expiry. |
| FA | Framework Agreement | Pre-qualified supplier pool. Buyer runs call-offs against it. Open Frameworks under PA 2023 must re-open. |
| OJEU thresholds | (see thresholds reference) | Old EU-set value triggers. Now UK-set under PA 2023. Currently £139,688 inc. VAT for services for sub-central authorities. |
| LTR | Light Touch Regime | Flexible regime for some health, social care and education service categories. |
Procedures and pre-qualified pools you will see under PA 2023.
Scoring and social value¶
| Acronym | Full name | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| MAT | Most Advantageous Tender | PA 2023 award standard. Quality, social value and sustainability count more than under MEAT. |
| TOMs | Themes, Outcomes, Measures (National TOMs Framework) | The dominant social value framework for local authority bids. Run by the Social Value Portal. |
| PPN | Procurement Policy Note | Cabinet Office notes that change procurement rules for in-scope authorities. Each PPN has a number. |
| PPN 002 | PPN 002: Social Value Model (2025) | Mandatory for central government from 1 October 2025. Aligns procurement with the government's missions. |
| PPN 003 | PPN 003 (related social value note) | Sits alongside PPN 002 in the new social value framework. |
| PPN 06/20 | PPN 06/20: Social Value (2020, superseded) | Old central-government social value note. Mandated 10% minimum weighting. Replaced by PPN 002 in 2025. |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicator | Performance metric written into the contract. Contracts above £5m must publish at least 3 and assess yearly. |
Acronyms that decide how your bid is marked.
Soft FM compliance and accreditation¶
| Acronym | Full name | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| SSIP | Safety Schemes in Procurement | Umbrella of 9 H&S pre-qualification schemes. Mutual recognition between members. |
| CHAS | Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme | An SSIP scheme. Common minimum for council and NHS work. |
| SMAS | SMAS Worksafe | Another SSIP scheme. Often cheaper than CHAS for sole traders and small firms. |
| Constructionline | Constructionline (PAS 91 / SSIP scheme) | Owned by Capita. Mainly required for construction and hard FM. Soft FM contractors often do not need it. |
| PAS 91 | Publicly Available Specification 91 | Withdrawn by BSI in April 2023. Old standard PQQ for construction and FM. |
| CAS | Common Assessment Standard | Replaced PAS 91 for construction and hard FM via PPN 03/24. Soft FM still mostly uses SQ. |
| ISO 9001 | ISO 9001 (Quality management) | Most-asked-for ISO. Often a minimum for council and NHS bids. Must be UKAS-accredited. |
| ISO 14001 | ISO 14001 (Environmental management) | Increasingly required. Can score up to 10% of marks under environmental and social value. |
| ISO 45001 | ISO 45001 (Occupational H&S) | Replaced OHSAS 18001. Required on larger FM tenders. |
The compliance acronyms that show up in every soft FM SQ and ITT.
Choosing between SSIP schemes? See the side-by-side CHAS vs SMAS Worksafe comparison and the best SSIP scheme for small businesses review.
Sector-specific accreditations¶
| Acronym | Full name | Sector |
|---|---|---|
| BICSc | British Institute of Cleaning Science | Cleaning. Buyer wants evidence of trained operatives. |
| CSSA | Cleaning and Support Services Association | Cleaning. Industry body, sometimes referenced. |
| SIA | Security Industry Authority | Security. Licences individual officers. |
| ACS | Approved Contractor Scheme (SIA ACS) | Security. Company-level SIA accreditation. Required for most public sector security work. |
| BS 7858 | BS 7858 (Vetting standard) | Security. Pre-employment vetting standard. |
| BS 7499 | BS 7499 (Static Site Guarding) | Security. Standard for manned guarding. |
| BS 7984 | BS 7984 (Keyholder) | Security. Standard for keyholding services. |
| DBS | Disclosure and Barring Service | All sectors with access to children, NHS, care, prisons. Enhanced DBS for regulated activity. |
| HACCP | Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points | Catering. Food safety management system. |
| FHRS | Food Hygiene Rating Scheme | Catering. The 0 to 5 rating displayed on the door. |
| Natasha's Law | Natasha Allergy Law (PPDS labelling) | Catering. Pre-packed for direct sale labelling rules in force since October 2021. |
| NPTC PA1 / PA6 | NPTC pesticide certificates | Grounds. Required for any pesticide application on a council site. |
| COSHH | Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (Regulations 2002) | All sectors using chemicals. HSE-enforceable. |
| RIDDOR | Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations | All sectors. Reporting duty for serious workplace incidents. |
What buyers actually score in each soft FM sector.
Employment and contract acronyms¶
| Acronym | Full name | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| TUPE | Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 | Existing staff transfer to the winning supplier on the same terms. Price your bid against the TUPE schedule. |
| NLW | National Living Wage | Statutory minimum for workers aged 21+. £12.71 per hour from 1 April 2026. |
| NMW | National Minimum Wage | Statutory minimum for younger workers. Lower bands for under-21s and apprentices. |
| RLW | Real Living Wage | Voluntary higher rate set by the Living Wage Foundation. Often specified by housing associations. |
| NEC | New Engineering Contract | Standard contract suite. Hard FM and construction. |
| JCT | Joint Contracts Tribunal | Construction contract suite. Sometimes used for major FM. |
| NHF | National Housing Federation | Trade body for housing associations. Most associations use NHF model contracts. |
The contract and workforce acronyms in every soft FM tender pack.
Oversight bodies and authorities¶
| Acronym | Full name | Role |
|---|---|---|
| CCS | Crown Commercial Service | Central government's commercial agency. Runs national frameworks. |
| PRU | Procurement Review Unit | Cabinet Office unit. Runs the new debarment list under PA 2023. |
| PPRS | Public Procurement Review Service | Free complaints route for suppliers who think a buyer broke the rules. |
| HSE | Health and Safety Executive | Enforces COSHH, RIDDOR, H&S at Work Act. Issues Improvement and Prohibition Notices. |
| ICO | Information Commissioner's Office | Enforces UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. |
| UKAS | United Kingdom Accreditation Service | Accredits the bodies that issue your ISO certs. Buyers verify on UKAS to weed out invalid certs. |
| BSI | British Standards Institution | Publishes BS standards and runs the UK's national standards body. |
| DBT | Department for Business and Trade | Government department for business policy. Sponsors several procurement initiatives. |
Who runs and polices UK public procurement.
One last thing¶
You do not need to memorise this list. Bookmark it. When a tender pack drops a new acronym at you on page 14, search this page and keep moving.
If you want the full plain-English explanation of how the new Act works, see the Procurement Act 2023 guide for FM suppliers. For a primer on what 'tender' actually means, the what is a tender explainer is the easiest start.
Sources
- Procurement Act 2023 (legislation.gov.uk) · Primary legislation. Live for new procurements from 24 February 2025.
- Transforming Public Procurement (Cabinet Office) · Buyer and supplier guidance on the new regime.
- Find a Tender Service · Above-threshold UK tenders. Front door to the Central Digital Platform.
- Contracts Finder · Below-threshold UK contracts. £12k+ central gov, £30k+ sub-central.
- Crown Commercial Service · Central government procurement frameworks.
- UKAS · Accreditation lookup for ISO and other certifications.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
- PCR 2015 stands for the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. They were the EU-derived rules that governed UK public procurement from 2015 until 24 February 2025, when the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023) replaced them. PCR 2015 still applies to procurements that started before that date and are still running.
- MEAT meant Most Economically Advantageous Tender. MAT means Most Advantageous Tender. The Procurement Act 2023 swapped one for the other. Under MEAT, buyers had to pick a winner using a price-and-quality balance, with price often dominant. Under MAT, buyers can give more weight to quality, social value, environmental sustainability and innovation. Pure-price awards are now harder to justify.
- SQ stands for Selection Questionnaire. PQQ stood for Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. They are essentially the same tool at different points in time. PQQ was the old name. SQ is the standard selection tool under the Procurement Act 2023. Both ask the same kinds of questions: company information, financial accounts, insurance, accreditations, modern slavery statement, GDPR compliance.
- CDP stands for Central Digital Platform. It is the new mandatory single supplier registration introduced by the Procurement Act 2023. Suppliers and contracting authorities both register on it. Your company information goes in once and every public-sector tender pulls from the same record. Find a Tender (FTS) is the front door to the platform.
- A Dynamic Market is the new always-open pre-qualified pool of suppliers under the Procurement Act 2023. It replaces the older Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). The big differences for SMEs: you can apply to a DM at any time, not just during an opening window, and the buyer must publish a tender notice for each mini-competition between members. Under a DPS, the buyer could often call off contracts without a fresh notice.
- PPN stands for Procurement Policy Note. PPNs are short policy documents issued by the Cabinet Office that change procurement rules for in-scope public bodies. Each one has a number. PPN 002 (Social Value Model) became mandatory for central government on 1 October 2025. PPN 03/24 brought in the Common Assessment Standard for construction and hard FM in June 2024. Buyers reference PPNs in tender packs and you have to comply.
- TOMs stands for Themes, Outcomes, Measures. The National TOMs Framework, run by the Social Value Portal, is the dominant social value framework used by UK local authorities. It lists specific outcomes (like local jobs created, carbon saved, volunteer hours) and measures with financial proxy values. When you commit in a bid to deliver TOMs outcomes, the buyer scores you against them.
- The National Living Wage rises to £12.71 per hour from 1 April 2026, up 4.1% from £12.21. For a soft FM bid, NLW is a price floor. Add employer National Insurance (15% from April 2025), pension auto-enrolment (3% minimum), holiday pay (12.07%), supervision, equipment, materials, overheads and margin on top. Pricing below the resulting figure is the most common way SMEs lose at evaluation, since buyers must check that bids are sustainable.
- SSIP stands for Safety Schemes in Procurement. It is an umbrella body of nine H&S pre-qualification schemes (CHAS, SMAS Worksafe, Acclaim, Constructionline and others). Mutual recognition means passing one scheme should be accepted by the others when a buyer asks for SSIP. For a small soft FM firm, SMAS Worksafe is often the cheapest entry, with CHAS the most-recognised by councils and NHS trusts.
- PAS 91 was withdrawn by BSI in April 2023. For construction and hard FM, it has been replaced by the Common Assessment Standard (CAS) under PPN 03/24, in force from June 2024. Some legacy tender packs still mention PAS 91 by habit. If a soft FM tender asks for it, the SQ now covers most of the same ground. Reply with your SQ data and your SSIP membership and you are usually fine.