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Welcome
A ONE-DAY
SEMINAR TO HELP YOU AVOID COSTLY LEGAL ACTION
Legal
knowledge of the intricacies of the public procurement regime,
which applies to most procurement exercises undertaken by organisations
governed by public law, is crucial.
Public
authorities in the UK spend billions every year on contracts
with private and voluntary organisations for goods, works and
services.
It is vital, therefore, that they take full account of all
the implications - both economic and social - of their investment.
They must also ensure that this investment is consistent with
their legal obigations.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
- Procurement Personnel
- Legal Officers
- Contract managers
- Finance Officers
- All staff with a responsibility for ensuring compliance with
EU legislation
UK legislation
The main legislative
requirements are the UK Public Procurement Regulations that implement
the EU Public Procurement Directives in the UK. The legislation
is an extension of EC Treaty obligations and applies to public and
publicly funded bodies, including universities. The aim of this
legislation is to open up the public procurement market to competition
to ensure the free movement of goods and services within the European
Union and to ensure equality of treatment through a standard, transparent
process. The legislation is also consistent with the UK Government's
agenda to ensure that publicly funded bodies make procurement decisions
on the basis of value for money achieved through competition.
Non-discrimination
The duty to
promote race equality also applies to procurement itself. Where
a public authority’s function is carried out by an external
supplier on its behalf, the local authority remains responsible
for meeting the duty. If procurement of goods, services or facilities
is one of the functions of your authority it should have been assessed
to see if it is relevant to the general duty. The Commission for
Racial Equality (CRE) would expect procurement to have been categorised
as one of your relevant functions or policies and you should have
taken steps to monitor the implementation of this function to see
if it results in any adverse impact. |
