{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/procurement-act-2023/section-18",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/procurement-act-2023/section-18.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2023/54",
  "legislation_title": "Procurement Act 2023",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/procurement-act-2023",
  "path": "section/18",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "18",
  "heading": "Duty to consider lots",
  "text": "(1) Before publishing a tender notice in respect of a public contract, a contracting authority must consider—\n(a) whether the goods, services or works to be supplied under the contract could reasonably be supplied under more than one contract, and\n(b) whether such contracts could appropriately be awarded by reference to lots.\n(2) If the contracting authority considers that the goods, services or works could reasonably be supplied under more than one contract and such contracts could appropriately be awarded by reference to lots, the authority must—\n(a) arrange for the award of the contract or contracts by reference to lots, or\n(b) provide reasons for not doing so.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 18 applied (24.2.2025) by S.I. 2013/1582, reg. 6(2), Sch. 2 Pt. 1 (as amended by The Procurement Act 2023 (Consequential and Other Amendments) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/163), regs. 1(2), 17 (with reg. 33))"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 18 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 127(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I2",
      "text": "S. 18 in force at 24.2.2025 by S.I. 2024/716, Sch. (as amended by S.I. 2024/959, regs. 1(2), 2(7)(a))"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/section/18",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T16:57:07.988577+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}