§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which United Kingdom aid projects were not subject to competitive tendering procedures in the country in which they were to take place; how much money was involved in each case; what was the relative percentage of those cases identified of the aid budget for that year; and who were the recipients of any moneys paid in each year since 1980. [18402]
§ Dr. Liam FoxIt is ODA' s policy that wherever practicable, and to ensure value for money, bilateral aid projects should be competitively tendered in the United Kingdom or in the recipient country. In many cases,542W however, the additional cost of tendering, particularly on smaller projects, outweighs the potential savings to the taxpayer and the recipient country. In such cases a waiver to tender is applied.
In the current financial year to date, about 46 per cent. of ODA expenditure on contracts let for the provision of goods and services were subject to competitive tendering. Figures for in-country expenditure and tendering are not kept centrally in ODA. These details and those of specific projects could not, therefore be provided without disproportionate cost.