Tenders and Contracts

Regulations

Regulations - Overview

The County Council is governed by legislation. The Council procures works, supplies and services in order to provide the services to the public. These services are supported by public money from government and council taxes and as a public service provider, the Council must be seen to act fairly when awarding contracts. There are legal requirements the Council must follow that ensure we are seen to be dealing in an open and transparent manner, showing no bias or favour when we appoint our suppliers.

Public Contract Regulations

The Public Contract Regulations require the Council to advertise all contracts over certain thresholds in the new UK e-notification service Find a Tender Service (FTS)The value of a purchasing arrangement for the purpose of these regulations is the whole-life value of the contract not just the annual value and must encompass all elements of that requirement (i.e. you cannot break down a purchasing requirement into smaller parts to avoid being subject to the regulation).

From the 1st January 2021 these thresholds are:

Supply and service contracts: £189,330
Light tough regime contracts: £663,540
Work contracts: £4,733,252

The purpose of advertising in FTS is for all UK businesses to be given the same opportunity to tender for contracts. The regulations require the Council to ensure that specifications do not include anything that may be discriminatory e.g. we cannot specify Welsh Standards or require only Welsh applicants. All contracts must be open to all UK providers.

ID: 562, revised 02/02/2023