United Kingdom: Government Contracts, Procurement & PPP

The UK Ministry of Defence's new Cyber Security Model version 4 fundamentally transforms cyber security obligations for defence suppliers, shifting from protecting MOD data to ensuring organisational resilience across business-critical operations. This comprehensive framework introduces Defence Cyber Certification requirements, mandates supply chain compliance, and establishes four risk-based security levels that will affect bidding, pricing, and contract management for nearly all MOD suppliers.

The UK government has responded to the Competition and Markets Authority's first review of the Subsidy Control Act 2022, addressing recommendations on guidance, streamlined routes, and the transparency database. While accepting some improvements, the government maintains its commitment to the self-assessment model and rejects calls for an independent ex-ante review body, leaving enforcement questions unresolved.

The UK Government has introduced new public procurement rules that double the weighting of social value criteria to 20% for contracts over £5 million, with trade union access and representation now explicitly factored into bid evaluations. This development creates a commercial incentive for employers to engage with unions, working in tandem with the Employment Rights Act 2025's new workplace access regime. Employers bidding for government contracts must now consider union relations not just as a compli

The UK government's 2025/26 annual report reveals significant shifts in the National Security and Investment Act's operation, with notification volumes climbing 15.8% while intervention rates drop to historic lows. Despite longer review timelines and increased scrutiny of certain investor origins, 98.9% of transactions proceeded without government intervention, raising questions about the regime's scope and effectiveness.

The European Commission has completed its first statutory review of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, three years after the regime entered into force. While declaring the FSR "fit for purpose," the Commission acknowledges that notification procedures impose disproportionate burdens on businesses and signals targeted procedural adjustments for 2027. The review examines enforcement activity across mergers, public procurement, and ex-officio investigations, revealing compliance challenges and stakeholder conce

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) has published its response to the Single Construction Regulator Prospectus consultation, confirming the direction of travel for construction sector regulation — but with implementation not expected before 2028.

This issue examines three significant construction law cases from March 2026, exploring the boundaries of expert determination challenges, professional conflicts of interest in project financing, and the complexities of contract termination during extraordinary circumstances. The cases provide critical insights into when courts will intervene in expert decisions, how surveyors must navigate dual advisory roles, and the application of waiver and prevention principles in pandemic-related contract disputes.

The UK government has committed £19 million to advance space technologies, with £10 million allocated to Space Forge for developing reusable heat shield technology that could enable commercial microgravity manufacturing.

The Procurement Act 2023 represents the most significant transformation of UK public procurement law in over 30 years, introducing a clearer, more transparent and flexible framework for public bodies and suppliers. This comprehensive guide examines the key legislative changes now in effect, including new payment compliance and contract performance reporting requirements, and explores how organizations can navigate the evolving regime with confidence.