Why does delaying the commencement of the Procurement Act 2023 mean that the Health Services (Provider Selection Regime) (Wales) Regulations 2024 need to be withdrawn?
The draft Health Services (Provider Selection Regime) (Wales) Regulations 2024 (‘the draft Regulations’) laid in the Senedd on 13 August included provisions to disapply health service procurement from the Procurement Act 2023.
Subject to approval by the Senedd, the draft Regulations were due to commence on 28 October; coinciding with the planned commencement date for wider public procurement reforms being introduced by the Procurement Act.
The decision to delay the commencement of the Procurement Act means that a number of provisions included in the draft Regulations, which cross reference the Procurement Act, now need to be amended to ensure effective operation of the draft Regulations. The draft Regulations were therefore withdrawn to enable the relevant amendments to be made.
The amended draft Regulations will be re-laid in the Senedd in the coming months.