Government AI just got auditable

The Procurement Transparency Register is a new public database where procuring authorities must register all contracts over GBP 500,000 that used AI or algorithmic scoring in evaluation. It went live on 1 August 2026.

It applies to all UK government bodies: central departments, NHS organisations, local authorities, and public sector bodies governed by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. There is no exemption for sensitive procurement such as defence or national security. All algorithmic scoring is now registered.

The register requires publication of the algorithm type and version, the training data source and recency, feature importance and weightings such as price, technical and social value percentages, bias testing methodology and results, known limitations and edge cases, and which decisions were made by algorithm versus human reviewer.

Government does not publish the algorithm’s code, which remains proprietary. But it publishes enough technical detail that a sophisticated bidder can reverse-engineer how the algorithm made scoring decisions.

A supplier who believes the algorithm scored unfairly has formal challenge rights. Within 30 days of publication of the methodology, a supplier can submit a written challenge identifying the specific decision they dispute, why they believe it was biased or erroneous, and what evidence supports the challenge.

The procuring authority must respond within 15 business days, and can uphold the challenge by re-running the algorithm or manually reviewing the disputed score, reject the challenge with detailed written reasoning, or order an independent audit by a third party to verify the algorithm’s methodology and implementation.

If an independent audit finds the algorithm was biased, violated its own methodology, or was incorrectly implemented, the procuring authority must rerun the procurement and re-score all bids using a corrected algorithm.

Before the register, an award was announced and disappointed bidders had 10 calendar days to file a tender dispute under the Public Contracts Regulations. If no dispute was filed within 10 days, the award was final.

Now, the procuring authority has 20 days to publish algorithm methodology, disappointed bidders then have 30 days from publication rather than from award to file an algorithmic challenge, the authority responds within 15 business days, and if a rerun is ordered the entire evaluation restarts. Contract award letters now include language noting the award is provisional pending the algorithmic challenge window closing.

For vendors selling procurement software to government, the register eliminates the black-box advantage. Winning bidders never used to see exactly how they were scored, and losing bidders could complain but had no way to verify whether the complaint was valid.

Now the methodology is public. Losing bidders can see the weightings and infer whether the algorithm was genuinely biased or whether their proposal was simply weaker, and vendors can no longer defend an unfavourable score by saying the algorithm is proprietary. The register also creates reputational risk for authorities using poorly designed algorithms, since a bias finding becomes public and shareable, which creates pressure on government to demand better validation from vendors.

If you’re bidding for government contracts over GBP 500,000, your bid strategy now needs an algorithmic layer:

• Obtain the methodology in advance: before the tender launches, file a Freedom of Information request asking for the planned algorithm type, features, weightings, training approach and bias testing. Government must disclose this pre-tender if requested, or confirm no algorithm will be used.
• Model your own scoring: once you know the methodology, simulate how your bid components such as price and technical specs will likely score, and identify which sections are strong or weak.
• Test your proposal: where possible, run your bid content through the disclosed algorithm or a simulation of it, and adjust to improve scores on the features that carry the highest weighting.
• Prepare for a post-award challenge: if you lose, you have 50 or more days to file an algorithmic challenge. Use that time to analyse whether the algorithm was actually biased, or whether the proposal was simply weaker, and file a formal challenge with an independent audit request if you find evidence of bias.