Welsh Ministers have signed off changes to public procurement thresholds so Wales applies a single, WTO GPA‑aligned set of values from 1 January 2026. The move is designed to simplify compliance for buyers and give suppliers a clearer read on when a full regulated procedure is required.

The statutory instrument streamlines Schedule 1 to the Procurement Act 2023 for Wales by removing the separate Welsh‑only figures introduced nationally last month and applying the standard UK GPA figures instead. In short, Wales will use the same headline amounts for goods, services, works and concessions as elsewhere in the UK.

For planning purposes, the numbers that matter from 1 January 2026 (all inclusive of VAT) are: £135,018 for central government supplies/services, £207,720 for sub‑central authorities, and £5,193,000 for works and general concessions. Light‑touch remains unchanged at £663,540 (and £884,720 for utilities). These values reflect the latest UK conversion of GPA thresholds.

This will subtly shift the tender pipeline. Take a Welsh local authority services contract estimated at £210,000: in 2025 it may have sat just under the previous £214,904 line, but from 2026 the relevant threshold drops to £207,720, bringing more such notices into the fully regulated regime with corresponding timelines and publication duties.

Procurements already underway are not disturbed. The usual “commenced” test applies: if a tender notice, transparency notice or a below‑threshold tender notice has been published, or suppliers have already been contacted for a below‑threshold award, the old values continue to apply to that procurement.

Not everything here catches devolved Welsh authorities in the same way as Whitehall bodies. Welsh Government guidance notes that defence and security thresholds set under the Act do not apply to devolved Welsh authorities, though the broader GPA‑aligned figures do the heavy lifting for most goods, services and works.

For procurement teams, the immediate jobs are operational: refresh standing orders and templates, update pipeline classifications around the £135k/£207k lines, and make sure eTendering portals pick up the 2026 values on notices posted after New Year. Where projects straddle year‑end, lock the notice date early if the 2025 numbers are material to the route to market.

Suppliers should sanity‑check any bid/no‑bid thresholds that hinge on contract value. Framework call‑offs, single‑supplier awards and “below‑threshold” plans near £200k deserve a second look, as a small scope increase could now push an opportunity into the full regime with different disclosure and standstill expectations.

One reason many lines edge down rather than up in 2026 is currency movement since the last update. Law‑firm briefings flag that, while the GPA review cycle is biennial, exchange‑rate shifts can pull sterling thresholds lower even when underlying SDR values are stable. That is exactly what we see for works and general services next year.

Looking ahead, thresholds are reviewed every two years, so the next recalibration is due for implementation on 1 January 2028 unless ministers intervene sooner. For now, Wales moving to a single GPA‑aligned column removes a layer of administrative ambiguity for public buyers and gives SMEs a clearer line of sight on when a full tender will be required.