Public procurement runs on notices: formal announcements at each stage of a contract's life, and for a training or L&D provider the early ones matter most. If you were told to "watch for a prior information notice" and could not find one, this guide explains why.
The prior information notice, or PIN notice, belongs to the old rules. Under the Procurement Act 2023 newer notices do its jobs, and the one a small training provider should care about most is the preliminary market engagement notice: where a buyer starts talking to providers before the specification is fixed.
At a glance
- The old prior information notice (PIN) was revoked on 24 February 2025. Its jobs now sit with the planned procurement notice and the preliminary market engagement notice.
- The old contract notice is now the tender notice: the live opportunity with a deadline.
- Pipeline notices cover larger future contracts, above £2 million.
- Early market engagement is where a small provider gets noticed before the tender is written.
A worked example: a council's leadership programme
Imagine a county council whose leadership programme for team leaders ends next year. The notices you might see run like this:
- Preliminary market engagement notice. The council invites training providers to a webinar and a short questionnaire about the next programme: delivery model, blended or face to face, how impact is measured.
- Planned procurement notice. Early warning that the competition is coming.
- Tender notice. The live opportunity, with the tender documents and a deadline.
- Contract award notice, then a contract details notice once the contract is signed.
A provider who joins at step 1 has months to understand what the council wants. A provider who first sees the tender notice has a few weeks and no relationship. They bid for the same contract from very different positions.
The early-stage notices
- Pipeline notice. A buyer that expects to pay more than £100 million under relevant contracts in the coming financial year must publish one, listing contracts above £2 million it intends to tender over an 18-month period. A large regional training framework may appear here.
- Planned procurement notice. Early information about a specific competitive procurement.
- Preliminary market engagement notice. Published when a buyer engages suppliers before tendering. If a buyer carries out market engagement, it must either publish this notice first or explain in the tender notice why it did not.
What happened to the PIN?
Under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the prior information notice was the catch-all advance notice; for some buyers it could even act as the call for competition. Regulation 48, which provided for it, was revoked on 24 February 2025 when the Procurement Act 2023 took effect.
The PIN was not renamed one for one. Its advance-notice role is covered by the planned procurement notice, and its market engagement role by the preliminary market engagement notice. You will still see old-style PINs and contract notices on Find a Tender for procurements that started under the 2015 rules.
The live and post-award notices
- Tender notice. The live opportunity, published with the tender documents. Under the old rules this was the contract notice, and many buyers and providers still use that name.
- Transparency notice. Published before a buyer makes a direct award without competition.
- Contract award notice. Announces the outcome before the contract is signed. Where a standstill period applies, it runs for eight working days from the day this notice is published.
- Contract details notice. Published after the contract is signed.
For how awards and standstill work, see how bids are scored.
Why early market engagement is where small providers get noticed
Government guidance describes engagement as webinars, workshops, site visits, one-to-one meetings or a simple invitation to get in touch. It also allows sessions focused on SMEs and new entrants, as long as they do not give those suppliers an unfair advantage.
For a small training provider that is a real opening. When a council asks how a leadership programme could be delivered:
- Answer the questionnaire properly. Describe how you would design and evaluate the programme, using evidence from work you have delivered.
- Say what would shut out smaller providers. If a single large contract would exclude specialist trainers, it is fair to say so and suggest how the work could be split.
- Ask the questions you will need answered before you bid: cohort sizes, locations, accreditation expectations.
The same applies when a council or NHS trust consults on a new training framework or DPS; engagement can be the first sign it is coming. The frameworks page and training tenders in the UK explain how those routes work.
Frequently asked questions
What is a prior information notice?
Under the old rules, a prior information notice (PIN) gave advance warning of a planned procurement and could sometimes act as the call for competition. The provision was revoked on 24 February 2025; its roles now sit with the planned procurement notice and the preliminary market engagement notice.
What is early market engagement?
It is when a buyer talks to providers before running a tender, to understand the market and shape the requirement. It is announced with a preliminary market engagement notice, and a training provider can respond with questions and evidence.
Is a contract notice the same as a tender notice?
Broadly, yes. The contract notice was the old-rules name for the notice advertising a live competition. Under the Procurement Act 2023 it is called a tender notice.
What is a pipeline notice?
A forward look that a buyer must publish if it expects to pay more than £100 million under relevant contracts in the coming financial year. It lists contracts above £2 million that the buyer intends to tender over an 18-month period.
Which notice is the actual opportunity to bid?
The tender notice, published with the tender documents. Earlier notices are advance warnings.
Sources
- Find a Tender — Notice types
- GOV.UK — Guidance: preliminary market engagement
- GOV.UK — Guidance: pipeline notice
- legislation.gov.uk — PCR 2015, regulation 48 (prior information notices, revoked)
- legislation.gov.uk — Procurement Act 2023, section 51 (standstill periods)