b"Being wise afterthe eventSince the new Procurement Act first hoved into view, most of the discussion on public procurement has focused on the changes it brings to the tendering and award process. This is understandable but it is equally important that contracting authorities focus on the management of their contracts after they have been awarded.This is both because the Procurement Act 2023 places new responsibilities onand provides new opportunities forcontracting authorities to ensure that they are getting what they pay for during the lifetimes of their contracts but also because many agreements fail to deliver their promised value to the public purse due to a lack of monitoring and maintenance.One of the key aspects of the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force in February 2025, is its focus on the whole lifecycle of public contracts, not just the procurement stage which was very much the main focus of previous procurement legislation. This imposes new legal obligations on bidders and procurers but perhaps more importantly will require a change of culture from both sides aimed at ensuring that once let, a contract will deliver the value promised and captured at the procurement stage.In particular, it requires contracting authorities to set and publish at least three Key Performance indicators (KPIs) for public contracts in excess of 5m which will be used to evaluate the suppliers performance throughout the life of the contract. Contract management has suffered from a lack of investment, a lack of appreciation of its importance and that has led to significant losses for the public sector overall, says Dr Rebecca Rees, Partner and Head of Public Procurement at Trowers & Hamlins LLP. Some of the requirements of the new Procurement Act not only add credibility to the whole procurement process and extend its scope beyond what we're used to, but do so in a valuable area that is often overlooked and under loved. Everyone works very hard on the procurement process and 3"