Procurement Rules & Regulations 

As a local authority procurement operation, there are regulations at a European, National and Local Level, which the Council has to follow when procuring Supplies, Services and Works. The information below gives a brief outline of those regulations:

European Rules

All public sector contracts, no matter what their value within the European Union, are covered by a treaty which incorporate the free movement of goods and services, which prevents discrimination against firms on the grounds of nationality. Further information is available via Tenders Electronic Daily.

The Directives and Regulations require the Council to follow detailed procedures for all procurement above a financial threshold. The thresholds are reviewed every two years and are outlined below.

      Public Procurement Thresholds - 1st January 2006 - 31st December 2008

                      Supplies     £144,459

                      Services     £144,459

                      Works        £3,611,474

The County Borough Council's Contract Standing Orders (CSO's) set the standards and framework within which contracts shall be let on behalf of the County Borough Council. The main purpose of the CSO's is to ensure that all contracts are entered into lawfully and on the most economically advantageous terms to the County Council.

The Rules form part of the Council's Constitution and were last reviewed in Febuary 2006. The latest review of the Rules took account of developing procurement practices and the new European Public Procurement Directive 2004/18/EC and associated UK Regulations which came into effect on 31 January 2006. The review also took account of developing procurement practices, the introduction of the National Procurement Strategy for Local Government, the Council's Corporate Procurement Strategy 2006-09 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.