§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the tendering procedure used by his Department in relation to the appointment of consultants to undertake 316W work on major trunk road improvement schemes in Wales; where advertisements are placed inviting tenders for such consultancy work; whether any consultants are approached directly with an invitation for them to tender; and if he will publish a list of those consultants who may be approached in this way.
§ Mr. Stradling ThomasConsultants are appointed on the basis of their expertise, quality of work and general suitability rather than through formal competitive tendering. They are engaged on the basis of standard agreements negotiated centrally by the Government with the Association of Consulting Engineers, from whose members consultants are chosen to work on the preparation of individual improvement schemes.