Procurement Policy Note (PPN)

What a PPN does

Procurement Policy Notes communicate policy and practical requirements for public procurement. A note may apply to central government departments and their agencies, to a defined category of contract, or to procurements under a particular legal regime and start date. Some notes are guidance; others direct in-scope organisations to use a model, template or policy. The PPN collection separates current Procurement Act 2023 notes from notes applying to PCR 2015 procurements and out-of-date notes.

PPNs sit alongside procurement legislation. A note cannot silently change the statutory procedure for an authority outside its scope. Read the note's “dissemination and scope”, effective date, exclusions and any transition wording. Current names, models and deadlines can change, so do not rely on an old copy in a bid library.

What suppliers should look for

If a tender refers to a PPN, check how the authority has incorporated it into the tender documents and contract. The practical requirements may appear as an evaluation question, reporting commitment, contract condition or KPI. Answer the actual question and do not assume a PPN's policy objective is an unscored promise.

For example, PPN 002's Social Value Model applies to in-scope central government procurements under the Procurement Act where relevant and proportionate, with a stated implementation date. That does not mean every local authority must use the same model in every purchase. A local authority may have its own social-value policy or legal duty. Treat the PPN reference as a scope and compliance check, not as a universal threshold or award rule.