A dynamic purchasing system (DPS) is a list of approved suppliers, open to new members throughout its life, that a public buyer set up under the old Public Contracts Regulations 2015 to award contracts for commonly used purchases (reg 34(1)–(2)). The Procurement Act 2023 replaces them with dynamic markets. Existing DPSs keep running under the old rules, but each must end by 23 February 2029 (SI 2024/716, reg 5(4)(b)).
If you are on a DPS, or have been asked to join one, keep bidding while it runs and watch for the buyer’s dynamic market notice. This guide is part of the Procurement Act 2023 for suppliers.
How a dynamic purchasing system works
The rules sat in regulation 34 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), which was revoked on 24 February 2025 except where saved (see below). Think of it as two stages: join, then compete.
Stage one, joining.
- The system ran as a completely electronic process and stayed open throughout its period of validity to any supplier meeting the selection criteria (reg 34(2)).
- Every supplier that met the criteria had to be admitted, and the number admitted could not be limited (reg 34(6)).
- The first call for requests to participate had to allow at least 30 days (reg 34(9)).
- The buyer had to evaluate each request within 10 working days, extendable to 15 in individual cases where justified (reg 34(16)–(17)).
- No charges could be billed to suppliers before or during the system’s validity (reg 34(29)).
Stage two, competing. Each contract was a separate procurement within the system. Tenders needed at least 10 days from the date the invitation to tender was sent, subject to a variation for sub-central buyers by agreement with all selected candidates (reg 34(11)–(12)).
What happens to existing DPSs
The 2015 Regulations continue to apply, “as modified”, to DPSs a contracting authority established before 24 February 2025 (SI 2024/716, reg 5(1), (3)(a)). The Act does not apply to them (reg 5(4)(a)). Two dates matter:
- 23 February 2026. A DPS’s period of validity “may not be changed after” this date (reg 5(4)(b)(i)).
- 23 February 2029. A DPS “expires (if it has not already done so) at the end of” this date (reg 5(4)(b)(ii)).
Those dates were substituted by SI 2024/959. The transitional guidance (updated 15 April 2026) says the same in plain words. A DPS must come to an end as set out when it was established, or by 23 February 2029, whichever is earlier (para 19). It can be extended only in the first twelve months after the Act came into force, and never beyond 23 February 2029 (para 20). So some DPSs will end sooner.
A later amendment, SI 2026/360 (reg 5), does not change either date or how a DPS works. From 1 May 2027 it ends the old rules’ Contracts Finder publishing duties, and moves some of them to the central digital platform (reg 1(4), date set by SI 2026/746).
Contracts are different. Any contract awarded under a DPS continues until it ends, under the previous legislation, even if the DPS has finished by then (paras 6(d), 19).
During the transition, a buyer may award contracts under commercial tools from both regimes (para 21).
Some older sources give 27 October 2028. That was the end date in SI 2024/716 as first made; SI 2024/959 replaced it with 23 February 2029 before the Act came into force.
Scottish buyers use the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, as devolved Scottish authorities are excluded from the Act. This guide does not cover them.
Can you still join or win work on an existing DPS?
While a DPS runs, the old rules still apply to it (SI 2024/716 reg 5(1)), and they require it to stay open to any supplier meeting the selection criteria (reg 34(2)). So a running DPS should still be taking applications.
Not every one will be. A buyer could have set an earlier end date when it established the system, and the guidance says a DPS ends at that date or on 23 February 2029, whichever is earlier (para 19). Check the DPS documents and the buyer’s portal for how to apply and when the system closes.
If a DPS in your trade is due to end in the next few years, the buyer can keep awarding contracts through it until it ends. Contracts already awarded run to their own end dates.
DPS vs dynamic market
The two tools are similar in spirit. The legal detail differs.
| Point | DPS (formerly) | Dynamic market |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | PCR 2015 reg 34, saved by SI 2024/716 reg 5 | Sections 34 to 40 of the Act (contents) |
| New ones | None can be set up now. The old rules are saved only for DPSs established, or advertised, before 24 February 2025 (SI 2024/716 reg 5(3)(a), (c); PPN 019, para 8(a)) | Replaces the DPS for new procurements (guidance, para 7) |
| Open to new members, with no cap | Yes. Open throughout validity; number not limited (reg 34(2), (6)) | Yes. Applications accepted at any time; no limit on members (s.36(6), (7)) |
| What it can buy | Commonly used purchases (reg 34(1)) | Scope expanded beyond commonly used purchases (guidance, para 9) |
| Fees to suppliers | No charges (reg 34(29)) | Except utilities dynamic markets, only on contracts awarded, never for membership (guidance, paras 28–29) |
| Awarding contracts | Separate tender for each contract, at least 10 days (reg 34(11)) | Via the competitive flexible procedure, with non-members excluded (s.34; guidance, paras 10–11) |
The Act’s name for the new tool is in our glossary: dynamic market.
How to join a dynamic market
The buyer must accept applications at any time and admit any supplier that is not excluded or excludable and meets the membership conditions (s.36(6)). The Act limits what those conditions can ask for. Only members can win contracts awarded through the market, so apply early. Our guide on how to join a dynamic market covers conditions, fees and what to check before applying.
When your DPS ends: what to do
- Watch for the buyer’s dynamic market notice. A buyer must publish one before establishing a dynamic market (s.39(2)).
- Read the membership conditions when the notice appears. List what you hold (accounts, insurance, accreditations, similar jobs) and mark any gap while there is time to fix it.
- Plan to apply. We have not seen anything in the Act or guidance that moves DPS members onto a new dynamic market, so plan to apply.
- Diarise your DPS’s end date. It is in the DPS documents. Work out how many months of bidding you have left on it.
- Below threshold. Membership conditions that assess your ability to perform the contracts conflict with the ban on a separate suitability stage in s.85(1), except for larger works contracts (guidance, para 29). See below-threshold contracts.
- Utilities. The Act’s dynamic markets also replace qualification systems (guidance, para 7).
For the wider shift in terms, see what changed from PCR 2015.
How to spot DPS and dynamic market notices
Search notice titles for “dynamic purchasing system”, “DPS” and “dynamic market”. Check both portals. Until 30 April 2027, procurements started under the old rules, including contracts awarded under a DPS, keep their duty to publish on Contracts Finder (PPN 019, para 8). From 1 May 2027 that duty ends for DPS contract awards, and award details for framework call-offs and below-threshold contracts move to the central digital platform (SI 2026/360, reg 5, in force on that date under SI 2026/746).
72 of 470 live notices mentioned frameworks or DPS in the week to 10 Oct 2026 (as of 10 Oct 2026; how we count). That count does not separate DPSs from frameworks.
You will see DPS notices in sectors such as social care tenders and transport tenders. Our live lists show what is open now.
Your next step
Tell us your trade and postcode to join the free weekly list of live tenders, starting soon. On Pro (£49/month), notices that fit your trade and area are checked against what each states about insurance, certifications and location, and you get an email each morning on days with new matches.
Questions
Do dynamic purchasing systems still exist?
Yes, those set up under the old Public Contracts Regulations 2015 before 24 February 2025, until they end. Each must end at the end of 23 February 2029 at the latest (SI 2024/716, reg 5(4)(b)(ii)); a 2026 amendment, SI 2026/360, does not change that date. New ones cannot be set up: procurements started since 24 February 2025 must follow the Procurement Act 2023, so a buyer uses a dynamic market (transitional guidance, paragraph 4).
Can a buyer extend its DPS?
Not now. Its period of validity cannot be changed after 23 February 2026 (reg 5(4)(b)(i)), and the guidance says a DPS cannot be extended beyond 23 February 2029 (paragraph 20). SI 2026/360 does not change either rule. If you are told a DPS has been extended, ask the buyer which date it relies on.
What happens to a contract I won on a DPS after the DPS ends?
It carries on under the old rules until it comes to an end, even if the DPS has finished by then. The transitional guidance says any contract awarded under a DPS continues and is managed under the previous legislation (paragraphs 6(d) and 19).
Is a dynamic market the same as a DPS?
It is a similar idea with different rules. Both stay open to new suppliers, but a dynamic market has its own legal basis in the Procurement Act 2023, awards contracts through the competitive flexible procedure, and can be used for more than commonly used purchases. See the comparison table on this page, and our guide on how to join a dynamic market.
Do I pay to join a DPS?
No. The old rules said no charges could be billed to suppliers before or during a DPS's period of validity (PCR 2015, reg 34(29)). Dynamic markets differ: apart from utilities dynamic markets, fees can only be charged to suppliers awarded a contract, not for membership, and only if the documents set them out (dynamic markets guidance, paragraphs 28 and 29).