Public Procurement
Making the most of business opportunities
Helping you through the public procurement maze
Public authorities regularly invite businesses to tender for contracts which can be worth thousands of pounds. And with the London Olympics now very much on people’s minds, businesses should not forget that the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games Ltd (LOCOG) is still in the market of appointing contractors.
These types of contracts can offer opportunities to industries as diverse as engineering, logistic, construction, travel and tourism to name but a few. However, public procurement tendering must follow a clear legal process and we can help you in dealing with various issues that may arise in pursuit of these contracts.
Organisations spending public money, such as the police, LOCOG, the Highways Agency, local authorities and the NHS and all the organisations further down the chain (known as the contracting authority) must follow strict rules when advertising and awarding contracts for services, supplies and works (such as construction, civil engineering, provision of services) to ensure that contracts are awarded on an open, competitive, non discriminatory basis. This is known as public procurement.
Different processes apply depending on the nature of the market and the services, works or supplies required. Both the contracting authority and the parties interesting in tendering (tenderers) must ensure that the correct regime is followed throughout the process, from advertising of the agreement to ultimately the contract award. Failure to comply with the rules may lead to challenges, invalid contracts, damages actions and even having to restart the process again, resulting in wasted costs, time and opportunity.
We can help with both practical and technical advice at all stages in the process for both the contracting authority and interested tenderers.
If you would like to register or find out more about general tenders not linked to the 2012 games, useful sites to visit are:
• http://ted.europa.eu/ for opportunities where the contract value is certain financial thresholds (see our Q&A section for more information)
• the Supply2gov website, which advertises many contracts under these the threshold
Most business opportunities for the 2012 Games will be managed by The Olympic Delivery Authority and LOCOG. Businesses can register on the CompeteFor website to access these upcoming 2012 procurement opportunities.
To find out more about our specialist team of lawyers download our Key Contacts or for initial advice contact Rachel Robinson on 01392 685214 or email rachel.robinson@foot-ansteys.co.uk
