Policies and Procedures
Procurement in the public sector is governed by a number of statutory requirements such as the Council’s Contract Standing Orders, and National Procurement Directives. Contracts are awarded on the principle of either the lowest cost or the most economically advantageous as determined by the criteria relevant to the type of supplies, services or works required.
Contract Standing Orders
Contract Standing Orders January 2020 provide the legal and operational procurement framework setting out the rules that the Council must follow in seeking tenders and letting contracts. They ensure that the Council achieves value for money in the way it spends public funds; that it complies with the regulations that govern the spending of public money; and procures in an open and transparent way.
The Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) is a plurilateral agreement under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which regulates the procurement of goods and services by the public authorities of the parties to the agreement, based on the principles of openness, transparency and non-discrimination
In order to comply with these regulations and principles, staff procuring on behalf of the Council are required to adhere to the following procurement procedures:
|
Estimated Value |
Procedure to Follow |
|---|---|
|
Less than £16,500 |
Is there a contract in place? |
|
Above £16,500 to EU Threshold Level |
Advertise Opportunity on Public Contracts Scotland Portal, and on Council website. If value is below £50,000 and requirements are well specified Quick Quotes may be used. |
|
GPA Thresholds |
Advertise on Public Contracts Scotland Portal and in the UK Find a Tender Service (FTS). |
Thresholds
Threshold values for contracts subject to procurement legislation and for publishing notices remain unaltered. These values, sometimes referred to as OJEU thresholds, derive from the GPA so there is no change in the value and the value will be consistent throughout the UK.
Scottish Ministers (and for the rest of the UK the UK Government) will be responsible for reviewing and revaluing the financial thresholds every two years. The next review of the thresholds will be implemented by January 2022. However, as threshold values must remain aligned to those in the GPA this means there is no scope to introduce threshold values that vary from those of the GPA or OJEU.
|
Supplies Contracts |
Service Contracts |
Works Contracts |
|---|---|---|
|
£189,330 |
£189,330 |
£4,733,252 |