Competitive Tendering (Hansard, 31 March 1994)

§ Mr. Colvin
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in theOfficial Report the conditions which industrial companies must satisfy before they are allowed to compete for his Department's contracts.

§ Mr. Aitken
Officials in my Department would aim to invite tenders only from companies considered competent to carry out the resulting contract. The criteria that they994W would use would vary depending on the nature and value of the work to be performed but would usually include the need for a proper quality management system—for example BS5750—and, for larger-value contracts, some check on the company's financial standing.

§ Mr. Colvin
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what period his Department requires between the closing date for the submission of tenders for his Department's contracts and the notification to all competing contractors of the outcome of the competition.

§ Mr. Aitken
There is no standard period: it is dependent on the circumstances of individual procurements.

§ Mr. Colvin
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department takes to establish that, in cases where a non-United Kingdom-owned company is bidding for his Department's contracts, national security is adequately protected.

§ Mr. Aitken
A foreign-owned company based in the United Kingdom which is interested in bidding for an MOD clasified contract will be subject to specific security checks prior to the release of any classified information. It will also be required to comply with or implement such additional security procedures as may be required by my Department. This ensures that the classified information is protected from access by foreign nationals.

§ Mr. Colvin
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances his Department will place a contract on a basis other than for its normal value-for-money criteria.

§ Mr. Aitken
My Department places virtually all its contracts in accordance with our assessment of value for money in the broad sense. Possible exceptions to this would include the need to meet an urgent operational requirement and national security considerations.