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Public procurement
In common with all Government departments and many other public sector bodies the Department is subject to the EU Treaty, the EU Procurement Directives (EU rules) and UK law that govern how it may purchase goods, services and works over a specified value.
Where the estimated value is expected to exceed the relevant EU threshold requirements have to be advertised in the daily supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). The threshold varies from time to time and has traditionally been amended every two years on January 1st.
The thresholds only apply to certain services that need to be advertised and, as of 1 January 2006, the current level is £93,898 for those services and all goods. The level for works is £3,611,474.
The regulations also stipulate timescales that must be adhered to. These are intended to ensure suppliers are given a reasonable time to respond to adverts. This includes responding to requests for expressions of interest as well as responding to invitations to tender.
There are different types of tendering procedures that can be adopted, although the Department has for the most part opted for the Restricted Procedure.
This means that all companies who reply to an OJEU advert within the stipulated time limits will be assessed against the stipulated published pre-qualification criteria and considered for tendering against stipulated published criteria.
The best qualified firms will be invited to submit a tender, however the numbers will be restricted to that indicated in the original advert.
The Department may also publish an annual Prior Information Notice. This contains information about those anticipated purchases of particular categories of goods and services expected to exceed the specific threshold over the coming year. The purpose is to give potential suppliers early notice of any planned large requirements.
The OJEU notices are published on the TED (tenders electronic daily) website
Procurement information on Departmental and Government purchasing can be found on the Government Opportunities web site.
It contains information on Better Quality Services Reviews, Private Finance Initiative and Private/Public Partnerships reports and reviews for agencies and non-departmental public bodies, and lists of procurement publications and Government contacts.
