1.
Introduction
These Contract Standing Orders
(“the Orders’) set out how the Council authorises and
manages expenditure and resulting commercial contracts with other
organisations. The purpose of these Orders is to ensure that prior
to any significant expenditure there is proper consideration of
whether there is a need to buy or if the need could be serviced
internally and that when external expenditure is required, that it
is done in a fair, open and transparent way, whilst delivering
value and maximising public benefit. Anyone who buys on behalf of
the Council, including staff, suppliers and consultants, is
responsible for following these Orders and all relevant policies
and Statutory Guidance (see Appendix 1) as well as guidance
provided by Procurement. Senior Officers (Heads of Service and
above) are accountable for all procurement in their respective area
of responsibility. Functions delegated to particular officers under
these Orders may be carried out by other officers specifically
authorised by them for that purpose.
All definitions and
interpretations used in these Orders, are set out in the
Definitions table in Appendix 2.
1.1.
Legal status of these Contract
Standing Orders
The
Council is required by section 135 of the Local Government
Act 1972 to maintain these Orders as part of our
Constitution.
The
Council’s
Monitoring Officer is the custodian of
these Orders and is responsible for keeping them under review.
If the law is changed in a way that significantly affects
these Orders, then the Director of Procurement will recommend an
update to the Audit, Standards and General Purposes
Committee.
The Director of
Procurement, in consultation with the Head of Cabinet Office and
the Director of Governance and Law, shall have delegated authority to make
incidental amendments from time to time to these
Orders, for example when minor updates
are required to the guidance in Appendix 1 due to changes to
Procurement Legislation, and to job titles and roles of
staff.
1.2.
Governing
Legislation
Procurement
Legislation has been updated significantly since the publication of
the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (“PCR”).
New procurements undertaken by the Council, apart from those for
certain health care services, are regulated by the Procurement Act
2023 and the Procurement Regulations 2024.
Procurement of
certain health care services is regulated by the Health Care
Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (“PSR”).
Schedule 1 of the PSR set out those services that are
subject to this regime.
Other legislation may
also be applicable, such as the Public Services (Social Value) Act
2012 and the Transparency Code 2015, which also impacts on procurement. It is
important that Officers are aware of the wider legislative
Framework.
Where a procurement
was started under the PCR, governance for that procurement or
contract continues to be under those Regulations rather than the
Procurement Act 2023 (“PA 23”).
1.3.
Key Principles
These
Orders are based on the following key principles:
a.
To ensure that the Council meets its
statutory duty to deliver best value and creates healthy
competition and markets for the Goods, Services and Works
purchased.
b.
To share information and be
transparent to our residents and suppliers about how the
Council spends its money and its procurement policies and
decisions.
c.
To ensure that public money is spent
legally and fairly.
d.
To act, and be seen to act with
integrity.
e.
To treat suppliers the same unless a
difference between the suppliers justifies different treatment and
not put any supplier at an unfair advantage or
disadvantage.
f.
To address the environmental impacts
of our supply chain in accordance with the Council’s Climate
and Biodiversity Emergency declaration.
g.
To support social value
objectives, and our public sector equality duty, encouraging
local small businesses and maximise public benefit.
h.
To consider how to remove or reduce
any barriers to participation for small and medium sized
enterprises.
1.4.
Compliance
Any breaches will be reported to the Audit,
Standards and General Purposes Committee and may be subject to
disciplinary action in line with the Council’s Disciplinary
Policy.
Every
contract made by, or on behalf of the Council, must comply
with Procurement Legislation, all other applicable legislation,
these Orders and the Council’s Financial Regulations and
Standard Financial Procedures. Where there is a difference between
Procurement Legislation and these Orders, the Procurement
Legislation prevails. Where these Orders appear to conflict with
other Council determined rules, the Director of Governance and Law
shall determine which takes precedence.
1.5.
Roles and
Responsibilities
The Director of
Procurement is responsible for all stages of procurement up to and
including contract award across all Services and local systems. The
Director’s responsibility is managed on a day-to-day
basis by the Procurement Team, who advise
and assist service areas in undertaking their procurement
activities.
All
officers are responsible for:
a.
Complying with these
Orders, all relevant policies and statutory guidance (see Appendix
1).
b.
Complying with
prevailing Procurement Legislation.
c.
Adopting the Key
principles set out in paragraph 1.3 throughout all procurement
activities.
Procurement is
responsible for:
a.
Working closely with
key stakeholders Commissioners and Corporate Directors to agree and
deliver the Procurement Forward Plan.
b.
Providing expert
procurement advice to secure the right suppliers for the
Council.
c.
Maintaining the
Contract Management Framework for how contracts are managed. See
Appendix 1
d.
Ensuring transparency of contract spend, contracts and
contract opportunities.
e.
Maintaining accurate
procurement records as required by internal and external
governance.
f.
Ensuring agreed social
value and environmental sustainability requirements are embedded in
relevant procurement activities.
All
commissioners and those who buy on behalf of the Council are
responsible for:
a.
Purchasing from
existing compliant contracts where they are available and
appropriate.
b.
Ensuring there is
adequate budget available for any purchase.
c.
Ensuring that the
requirement and specification takes into account and addresses
environmental impacts, wherever possible.
d.
Considering how the
social value priorities should be supported by the requirements and
the supplier.
e.
Ensuring suppliers act
ethically and responsibly in accordance with legislation and
Council policies.
f.
Raising a properly
completed purchase order and ensuring it is approved before the
requirements are delivered to the Council, regardless of which
system is used.
g.
Ensuring
specifications meet the defined need and requirements and properly
take into account wider local and national priorities where
applicable.
h.
Ensuring that HR is
consulted, and the appropriate approval obtained for requirements
of temporary workers or consultants outside any agreed corporate
contract.
i.
Following the guidance
and procedures set out in the Contract Management Framework,
according to the value, risk and complexity of the
contract.
All
Contract Managers and those who manage contracts on behalf of the
Council are responsible for:
a.
Following the guidance
and procedures set out in the Contract Management Framework,
according to the value, risk and complexity of the
contract
b.
Ensuring Contracts are
monitored and managed in accordance with prevailing procurement
legislation requirements as well as individual contractual
requirements, including transparency notifications.
c.
Ensuring, where
applicable, Social Value and Environmental commitments are tracked
and delivered.
1.6.
Procurement Type
Prior to
commencing any procurement activity, you are required to identify
which of the below procurement types the activity falls into as
this will determine which Procurement Legislation, and subsequently
which thresholds,
will be
applicable:
a.
Goods and
Services;
b.
Works;
c.
Light Touch (certain
social, health, education, and other public services);
d.
Provider Selection
Regime (some Healthcare services); or
e.
Concessions.
There is no
flexibility in the application of the Procurement Legislation, so
it is crucial the correct provisions are applied.
The Procurement
Legislation contains a list of Common Procurement Vocabulary
(CPV) codes
which can be used to identify the types
of services where the Light Touch and Provider Selection Regime can
be applied. Similarly, CPV Codes can be used to determine where a
requirement will be regarded as ‘Works’ for the
purposes of the Procurement Legislation. A link to the CPV code
lists is provided in Appendix 1.
Table 1 below shows
the definitions for the types of procurement, the Relevant
Thresholds
for them and the Procurement Legislation
that could apply.
To determinewhich Relevant Threshold
applies, it is necessary to estimate the value of the
Contract. Further guidance on how to do this is included in paragraph
1.8.
1.11.
Below Threshold
Procurements
Below
threshold procurements must also meet Procurement Legislation
obligations and you should familiarise yourself with the
requirements of Below Relevant Threshold requirements in Appendix
1.
Any
existing below threshold contracts which, when modified, exceed the
Relevant Threshold should be brought to
Procurement for review and consideration if it can become a
convertible contract (see paragraphs 2.2 and 2.3).
1.12.
Direct
award
Contracts below and above the Regulatory Threshold
may be awarded directly as long as at least one direct award
justification in the prevailing procurement legislation can be
applied (See Appendix 1).
You must contact procurement prior to undertaking a
direct award to ensure the criteria is met.
1.13.
Evaluation
Tenders over
Regulatory
Thresholds
are evaluated in accordance with prevailing Procurement
Regulations.
1.14.
Collaboration with other public
bodies and Private Entities
The Council may enter into collaborative agreements
for the procurement of goods and services with other public bodies or Central Purchasing Bodies
and partnership agreements with private entities where this offers
value for money for residents. Where this is proposed, you must
seek advice from Procurement in the first instance.
1.15.
Framework agreements, Dynamic
Purchasing Systems (DPS) and Dynamic Markets
All
proposals to establish or use existing Frameworks, Dynamic Markets
or pre-existing DPS’, must be referred to Procurement, who
will make appropriate arrangements in consultation with Legal
Services as required. There are strict legislative
requirements for the use of Frameworks and Dynamic Markets, and
additional guidance for their appropriate use can be found in
Appendix 1.
1.16.
Access Agreements
Where a contracting authority requires the Council to sign
an Access Agreement relating to a Framework, Dynamic Purchasing
System, or Dynamic Market, and there is no commitment to call-off,
the signing of the Access Agreement must be authorised by the Head
of Procurement.
1.17.
Concession
Contracts
Concession Contracts are contracts under which the council
outsources works or services to a contractor or provider, who then
has the right to commercially exploit those works or services in
order to recoup its investment and make a return. The key feature
is that the contractor/provider bears the operating risk of the
arrangement and so has no guarantee of recouping its investment or
operating costs. Concession Contracts must meet certain
requirements, and advice must be sought from Procurement in the
first instance if a concession contract is
required.
1.18.
Procurement Notices
All procurements must
follow publication requirements as set out in the prevailing
Procurement Regulations. (Guidance in Appendix 1).
2.
Approvals
2.1. Procurement Forward
Plan
Corporate Directors
have a general delegated authority to authorise procurements with a
view to managing the services for which they are responsible. This
includes authorising the procurement of goods, works and services,
where they deem this appropriate, provided they do so in accordance
with these Orders and the Council’s Financial Procedure Rules
and Financial Regulations.
To enable the Council
to maintain an accurate oversight of procurement activity across
the full range of council services, the
Director of Procurement is responsible for the development of a
Procurement Forward Plan (PFP). This PFP will be in two parts, as
follows:
PART A: Approval to Procure
A 12-month detailed
forward plan is developed to identify, for each directorate, all
contracts over £1m which are due for renewal, replacement or
a new requirement in the coming financial year.
The PFP:
Part
A must be
developed and agreed with the Directors of the relevant services
and submitted to the Corporate Leadership Team for information and
monitoring purposes during the business planning cycle each
year.
If a need arises
during the year for procurement activity on contracts over
£1m which have not been reported through the PFP: Part A,
then an Approval to Procure form must be raised by the service and
approved by the Head of Procurement and the relevant Corporate
Director before resource can be assigned to this
procurement. Where the procurement includes IT &
Digital, the Approval to Procure requires additional approval from
the Chief Digital Information Officer.
Planned procurements
for the financial year ahead with a value of £1m or more come
to Cabinet for sign off in order to enable the procurement to
proceed, unless previously authorised by Cabinet.
PART B: Procurement Pipeline
Under Procurement
Legislation, the Council is required to publish a ‘Pipeline
Notice’, which consists of a list of procurement activity
proposed to take place in the forthcoming 18 month period for all
projects over £2m. Procurement willpublish all contracts over £1M and for a 24-month
period, to fit better with the key decision making process and
financial planning cycle.
In
addition
to Part A,
the PFP will include (as Part B) procurements proposed to take
place in the financial year which follows on from PFP Part A:
Approval to Procure. For the avoidance of doubt, appearance on Part
B alone does not constitute an approval to procure.
The
Procurement
Pipeline
will be published on the Central Digital Platform (and/or any
related platform as required by Procurement Legislation from time
to time).
2.2. Contract Modifications
and Extensions
Note: For all
Modifications and Extensions above £30k (inclusive of VAT),
you must contact Procurement.
Contracts that have been
originally advertised with extension or modification options can be
extended / modified (as applicable) in accordance with prevailing
Procurement Legislation
Extensions or modifications of an
existing Contract which are not included in the original public
notice or the contract itself can potentially be made without
triggering a requirement for a new Procurement exercise provided
one of the safe harbours set out in the prevailing Procurement
Legislation are satisfied and doing so would offer best
value. Procurement guidance is
available in Appendix 1 setting out the circumstances under which
contract modifications or extensions are permitted.
Permitted
Contract extensions and modifications must be approved as detailed
in the Procurement
Type Summary tables in paragraph 1.10 based on the value of
the extension / modification.
For
contracts with a value above the Regulatory Threshold
extensions and modifications which were not included in the
original public notice or contract but are allowed under the
prevailing procurement regulations
must also
be reviewed by Legal Services.
2.3. Convertible
Contracts
Any existing
below
threshold contracts which, when modified, exceed the regulatory
threshold, should be brought to Procurement for review and
consideration if it can become a convertible contract.
Where the extension or modification of a below Regulatory
Threshold contract is to become a convertible contract under
Section 74 of the Procurement Act 2023, the approval to convert the
contract must be approved by the Head of Procurement (or
delegate).
2.4. Technology, Digital
Services and Software
Procurement works closely with IT
& Digital to manage the Council’s technology and digital
needs and the security of the Council’s data and network.
This applies to any provision of technology, digital services and
software that is used by the Council. No technology, digital
services or software, including Software as a Service (SaaS), may
be procured by the Council without prior approval from
IT&D.
2.5. Temporary Staff,
Consultants and Professional Services
Temporary and agency staff, and
other consultants or contractors, must abide by the terms of their
contract with the Council and follow the Council’s Code of
Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy.
3.
Waivers and Emergencies
3.1.
Waivers
A waiver is required for any
proposed procurement or contractual action which is not compliant
with these Orders. All
waivers must be documented by completing a Waiver Report which must
be approved by the Head of Procurement and relevant Corporate
Director. The Waiver Report must be in the format of the template
included on the Procurement Templates section of the
Wave.
A waiver cannot be given if it would
contravene Procurement Legislation or any other applicable
legislation.
A waiver
cannot
be granted
retrospectively; this is viewed as non-compliance with these Orders
and may be reported to Audit Standards and General Purposes
Committee.
Procurement must
maintain a log of all waivers and store documentation for
waivers.
3.2.
Emergency Purchases
An emergency purchase
is only allowed for purchasing where there is an imminent risk to
life or property. Where there is a need to secure Council property
or assets e.g. when there has been a break in or equipment failure,
such as a flood. You can use a Purchase Card, within your allocated
limits, to pay. If the supplier does not accept Purchase Cards then
you may give a verbal order and raise a formal purchase order the
following working day. You must also inform Business Operations of
any emergency purchases on the following working day.
Issues arising with
contracts leading to a requirement for urgent mitigation action are
not necessarily considered Emergency Purchases.
This will be dealt with as part of risk mitigation within the
contract management process.
4.
Contracting with
Suppliers
4.1.
Purchase Orders
Once you
have
found the
right supplier as required by these Orders, you must not make
verbal commitments but must raise a Purchase Order (via prevailing
accounting system system). This must be approved in accordance with
the Council’s Financial Standing Orders before it is sent to
the supplier, and before any goods or services have been received.
Details of financial approval levels are included in the
table
in the summary tables in paragraph
1.10.
4.2.
Using Purchase
Cards
The Council
makes
use of
general Purchase Cards to make small purchases in a wide range of
situations.
You must use purchase
cards only as set out in the
Purchasing Cards guidance on the Wave unless otherwise
agreed in writing by Procurement, or in life-critical
circumstances (see alsoparagraph 3.2).
4.3.
Bribery, Corruption, Canvassing and Collusion
Bribery and
Corruption
You
must comply with the Council’s Code of Conduct for Employees
and the Council‘s Counter-Fraud Strategy and
Framework. You must not invite or accept any gift or reward in
respect of the award or performance of any contract. It will be for
you, the officer, to prove that anything received was not received
corruptly. Gifts and Hospitality
must be declared (See Appendix 1 for link).
Canvassing and
Collusion
All Invitations to
Tender must include a requirement for bidders to declare their
compliance in relation to canvassing and non-collusion. Every
contract must contain a clause entitling the Council to cancel the
contract and to recover from the contractor the amount of any loss
resulting from such cancellation if the contractor or his
representative has practised collusion in tendering for the
contract or any other contract with the Council.
Conflict of
Interest
All officers with
influence or involvement in a procurement should comply with
Procurement Legislation and must declare any actual, potential or
perceived conflict of interest related to a specific procurement /
contract and comply with any mitigating actions agreed. This may
include the requirement to complete a conflict-of-interest assessment at the
start of the procurement process that is proportionate to the
procurement being undertaken. This must be updated at key
points during the procurement, or when new information becomes
available. Guidance on the Conflict-of-Interest Assessment and how
to comply can be found in Appendix 1.
All
Officers must also comply with the Council’s
Declarations of Interest Guidance and any
declarations required as part of a
specific procurement.
4.4.
Audit Requirements
The procurement
process must be
documented throughout and a record of all material decisions must
be kept.
4.5.
Grants
Nothing in respect of
the receiving, administration or management of grants into the
Authority is covered by these rules. However, if any grant money
received or issued is to be used for the procurement of goods,
services or works then these rules may apply, and advice must be
sought from Procurement before proceeding
5.
Council Requirements / Obligations
5.1.
Social Value
The Public Services
(Social Value) Act 2012 places an obligation on the Council to
consider the economic,
social and environmental well-being of our local area when we award
contracts over the Relevant Thresholds. All Officers should
review the requirements and procurement strategies prior to
carrying out procurement activity to ensure that opportunities for
maximising public benefit in relation to the use of Social Value
are utilised. The factors to consider include but are not limited
to:
a.
Requirements and specifications should be designed to enable
suppliers to contribute to wider local and national social
outcomes, such as local business, skills and employment, community
needs, when performing the requirement;
b.
Bidders should be provided with relevant and targeted information
in order to enable more effective social value commitments;
c.
As part of the tendering process, an assessment of relevant Social
Value must be carried out and procurement record the results in the
statutory procurement reports and relevant systems as
identified;
d.
Appropriate weighting, criteria or other mechanisms should be
included in the procurement strategy to secure social value;
e.
Appropriate measures should be included to ensure that social value
requirements and commitments are monitored, delivered and, where
required, reported on during performance of the requirement.
f.
Officers should consult the
Council’s
Social Value
toolkit (see Appendix 1) which provides a practical guide as to how to include social value
outcomes in tenders, evaluate bidders and monitor the delivery of
these outcomes during the contract.
g.
Contract Managers are responsible for
tracking and reporting social value delivery in line with the
Contract Management Framework and
prevailing legislation.
5.2.
Environmental
Sustainability
The Council is
committed to ensuring their operations (including the goods, works
and services purchased are environmentally
sustainable and
resilient to future climate change, promote a circular
economy
and
protect and enhance the natural environment.
Officers are required
to support the implementation of the Council’s environmental
priorities and policies through inclusion of
considerations into market engagement, specifications,
questions andcontract
management.
If
undertaking
a
procurement, you must ensure that procurement policy requirements
are included in any procurement and contract management activity,
this includes but is not limited to:
a.
Ensuring
consideration is given to including environmental sustainability as
an award criteria for relevant contracts.
b.
Ensuring all relevant procurements and contracts include the
requirement for a supplier Carbon Reduction Plan;
c.
Ensuring specifications and requirements are reviewed in line with
current local procedures and objectives, using any relevant
systems, and appropriate measures which address environmental
impacts;
d.
Having regard to current related environmental policies and
measures adopted by the Council and act to address these in the
requirement and procurement activity.
Contract Managers are responsible for tracking and reporting
any environmental measures in line with the Contract Management
Framework and prevailing legislation.
5.3. Modern
Slavery
The Council has
pledged to tackle modern slavery to support global and national
efforts to eradicate
slavery
and exploitation. This includes a commitment to mitigating risks in
our procurement activity and
associated supply chains. Officers have a responsibility to have
due regard to the risk of modern slavery and unethical labour
practices in the supply chains of the goods, services and works
that are being procured. Officers should implement appropriate due
diligence measures in procurement and contract management activity
to ensure that suppliers and their supply chain partners are
conducting their business dealings fairly and ethically to mitigate
the risk of exploitative practices. This includes, but is not
limited to:
a.
Ensuring
adherence to Section 54 (transparency in supply chains) of the
Modern Slavery Act 2015;
b.
Building
modern slavery considerations into specification
requirements;
c.
Including
modern slavery considerations in conditions of participation and
tender stage to assess supplier capability to manage
risks;
d.
Embedding
due diligence requirements in contractual terms and
conditions.
The Council may also
introduce from time to time particular local and national policies
which support ethical,
environmental and sustainable procurement and support social value
priorities, and Officers should include these in relevant
procurement documentation and procedures. See Appendix
1.
6.
Liability and
Security
6.1.
Insurance Liability
To protect
the
Council,
insurance is required where we use goods, works or services
provided by a supplier
(including
consultancy).
The standard
levels
of cover
for Public Liability Insurance, Employers’ Liability
Insurance and Professional Indemnity Insurance are set out
below:
a.
Public Liability - £10m
b.
Employers’ Liability - £10m depending on the contract
used
c.
Professional Indemnity - £2m (undertake a risk assessment and
take advice from the Insurance Team)
In some instances
where the contract value, risk or scope may be particularly high,
additional cover may be required. Equally, some contracts may be
suitable for lower levels of insurance may be considered. To obtain
advice on what level of insurance is appropriate, contact the
relevant officer within the Insurance Team. The agreed level of
insurance should be recorded in the contract.
You may
ask
for insurance where it
is proportionate to the delivery of the Contract. You cannot
ask for this insurance to be in place prior to the commencement of
the contract.
Insurance
and turnover
requirements must be reasonable and proportionate to the
Contract.
6.2.
Supplier Exclusion
Procurementlegislation
requires that suppliers are assessed to determine if they are
excluded or excludable from the procurement. Refer to
guidance in Appendix 1 on how to assess a supplier.
6.3.
FinancialSecurity
The
Council
must
confirm
that suppliers are financially robust both prior to contract award
and during the life of the contract as appropriate. Where required,
details of any bonds, guarantees or other financial security a
supplier may need to provide must be set out in the procurement
documents.
6.4.
Document
Retention periods
The retention of
tenders and contractual documentation is prescribed in the
Limitation Act 1980 and the Procurement Legislation and must be
followed. In summary:
a.
All received Tenders and supporting documentation must be retained
for a minimum of eighteen months following the issue of the
Contract Award Notice.
b.
All signed contracts (including all tender documentation) must be
retained for a minimum of twelve years for Deeds and six years for
simple contracts following contract expiry or as stated in the
Information Asset Register, if different.
c.
Records to be kept that are significant to explain material
decisions throughout the procurement (including communications with
suppliers). Appendix 1 provides guidance on how to record
and keep appropriate records, including
after contract award.
Procurement must maintain an
online record confirming the location of the
contract/tender.
7.
Managing Contracts
The
Council
manages
the process of awarding contracts via its e-tendering and contract
management systems, to ensure that contracts are properly filed and
documented.
Heads of
Service
are
responsible for the performance of contracts in their area in line
with the Contract Management Framework.
All Contracts must have a
designated Contract Manager named on relevant systems throughout
the life of the contract. Contract Management
activities are to be delivered either by a dedicated contract
manager or by someone with that responsibility as part of a wider
role.
If the
Contract Manager changes, this should be declared to
Procurement so that the contract records can be
updated.
Contracts should be
proportionately managed in line with the Contract Management
Framework.
See Appendix 1. All Level 1 and 2 contracts must have a written
business continuity plan, and a contract management
plan.
Where
contract funding is received by the Council from a third party
(for example, an incoming grant), the contract terms must include a
provision for dealing with liabilities under the contract should
that funding cease to be available.
7.1.
Contract Formation and Sealing
Electronic signatures may be used provided that they are in a format
approved for use by Legal Services.
Officers
should seek advice from Procurement before entering into any
Contract
with an estimated value of £30,000 or less which does
not use the Council’s standard terms and
conditions.
Any
Contract
with an estimated value of £30000 to £100,000
which does not use the Council’s standard terms and
conditions must be referred to Procurement for advice before
executing the Contract.
Any
Contract with an estimated value over £100,000 which does not
use the Council’s standard terms
and conditions must be forwarded to Legal Services prior to use
for advice as to whether the proposed Contract adequately protects
the Council’s interests.
Without prejudice, the
Monitoring Officer may approve other terms and conditions to be
used in respect of a particular Contract or type of Contracts when
appropriate to protect the Council’s interests.
(i)
Contracts with an estimated value over £1,000,000 shall be
executed as a deed using the Common Seal of the Council; (ii)
Contracts with an estimated value of £1,000,000 or less may
be executed as a simple contract and signed by an officer duly
authorised for that purpose.
The
Monitoring Officer may, on a case by case basis or in relation to a
particular class of contracts and taking all relevant circumstances into account, stipulate
the method by which a particular contract or class of contracts is
to be executed, irrespective of the overall estimated value of the
Contract
7.2.
Contracts Register
All contracts over
£30,000 (inclusive of VAT), including any variations or
amendments, must be registered and maintained in the appropriate Contract Management
System (CMS). The Council is required by law to publish
transparency data. Data regarding contracts may additionally be
maintained in other systems for local use.
7.3.
Notices required during the
life of the Contract
All
contracts must follow publication
requirements as set
out in the prevailing Procurement Legislation. See Guidance in
Appendix 1.
