From 1 April 2026, contracting authorities need to pay closer attention to a new transparency requirement under the Procurement Act 2023. If you award an in-scope public contract under the new regime, you may need to publish quarterly contract payment information where individual payments are over £30,000 including VAT. The first publication deadline is 29 July 2026.
For some authorities, this will be a straightforward reporting task. For others, it will mean bringing procurement, finance and contract management teams together so the right payment data is captured and published on time.
What is contract payment information?
Contract payment information forms part of the Procurement Act 2023’s wider transparency framework. Contracting authorities must publish information about certain payments made under relevant public contracts, extending transparency beyond the award stage and further into contract delivery. Rather than focusing only on notices issued during the procurement process, the new regime increases visibility of what happens once a contract is up and running.
This is an ongoing obligation rather than a one-off notice. Authorities need to publish the required information on a quarterly basis for contracts that fall within scope.
When do the rules apply?
The requirement applies to public contracts awarded under the Procurement Act 2023 where the procurement was started on or after 1 April 2026. Authorities must then publish contract payment information every quarter where relevant payments fall within scope. The first reporting deadline is 29 July 2026, so organisations covered by the rules should already be thinking about how the information will be gathered, checked and published.
Which payments are in scope?
The guidance says authorities must publish information about payments over £30,000 including VAT.
That sounds simple, but it is likely to be one of the main operational pressure points. In many organisations, payment processing sits outside the procurement team, which means compliance will depend on good coordination between finance, contract management and procurement colleagues. Authorities should be clear on which contracts were awarded under the new regime, which payments under those contracts exceed the threshold, and how that information will be collected for quarterly publication.
Which contracts are excluded?
Not every public contract falls within this requirement. The Cabinet Office guidance sets out several exclusions, including schools, concession contracts, certain utilities contracts, below-threshold contracts and exempted contracts. Authorities should avoid assuming the rule applies to every contract in their portfolio and should check contract type, procurement route and regulatory status before building a reporting process around it.
Why this matters
This is more than another publication exercise. It reflects the broader direction of procurement reform, with transparency moving further into the life of the contract rather than ending at tender or award stage. Authorities are increasingly expected to publish information not only about how contracts are let, but also about how they are managed and how public money is being spent during delivery.
That matters internally because the legal requirement may sit with procurement while the underlying data sits with finance. Contract managers may also need to play a role in validating what should be reported and when. Where those teams are not aligned, the risk is not just inefficient reporting but incomplete or delayed publication.
It matters externally too. Suppliers, competitors and market analysts will have greater visibility of contract activity, especially when payment information is viewed alongside award notices, contract details and pipeline data. Over time, that could make published payment data a more useful source of market intelligence.
Common misunderstandings to avoid
Because this is a relatively new requirement, some confusion is understandable. One issue is scope. The rules do not apply to every authority or every contract, so the exclusions need to be checked carefully before any reporting process is rolled out. Another is timing. This is a quarterly publication requirement, and the first reporting deadline is 29 July 2026, so it is not something authorities can leave until year end. A third is ownership. In many organisations, this will cut across multiple teams, and a lack of clarity over responsibility could easily lead to missed deadlines or inconsistent reporting.
What authorities should do now
Authorities do not need to overcomplicate this, but they do need to act early. A sensible starting point is to:
- identify which contracts awarded under the Procurement Act 2023 fall within scope for quarterly payment reporting
- review finance systems and reporting lines to confirm how payments over the threshold will be captured
- check whether contract records contain the information needed to support accurate publication
- agree who owns the reporting process each quarter
- put internal checks in place ahead of the 29 July 2026 deadline
The practical burden will vary. Authorities with structured contract registers and joined-up finance reporting may find the process manageable, while others may need to tighten their internal systems quickly.
Why suppliers should care too
Although the duty falls on contracting authorities, suppliers should pay attention as well. New payment transparency requirements may provide useful insight into how public contracts are operating in practice. Over time, published payment information could help suppliers understand contract activity, spot patterns in spend, assess incumbency and build a clearer picture of a market before deciding whether to bid.
For bid teams, that makes this more than a compliance story. It may also become a useful source of commercial intelligence.
A wider shift in contract transparency
The new contract payment information duty does not sit in isolation. It forms part of a broader set of Procurement Act reforms that push transparency deeper into contract management. The Cabinet Office’s wider guidance on new legislative requirements also points to related obligations around payment compliance and contract performance, reinforcing the shift towards greater visibility after award as well as before it.
Final thought
For authorities that have focused mainly on tender-stage compliance, contract payment information may feel like an extra administrative layer. In practice, it is part of a wider move towards more open contract delivery data and more consistent public reporting once a contract is live.
The rules themselves are reasonably clear. The challenge for many organisations will be making sure internal systems, roles and reporting processes are ready in time. If you are awarding contracts under the Procurement Act 2023, this is worth checking now rather than close to the first deadline.
If you need support with Procurement Act implementation, transparency obligations or wider public procurement compliance, Thornton & Lowe can help.
