§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what companies, apart from UBM Group Ltd., put in competitive tenders for the contract for the supply of building materials and supplies to Government and similar establishments throughout England and Wales when this was last placed in February 1978; what companies he expects to tender for the contract due to be placed in February 1981; what steps his Department has taken to keep the prices under this contract under review; how many officials are engaged in this work; how he estimates the savings in public expenditure that are claimed to result from this contract; what are the financial limits on local purchases outside the contract, and when these were last revised; and to what extent his Department has consulted the UBM Group Ltd. before fixing these limits.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe information is as follows:
Sankey Building Supplies Ltd. and the General Iron Foundry Co. Ltd.; five companies have been invited to tender for the contract due to be placed in February 1981. It is our policy not to divulge the names of competing firms prior to an award being made, but I shall write to my hon. Friend once the contract has been awarded; prices are kept under re- 552W view by reference to monthly published trade price Indices; three officials spend part of their time on this work; the savings are estimated by comparison between published trade prices—adjusted for delivery—and the contract prices; the financial limits for PSA ordering officers for the local purchase of items outside the contract is £50 for cash purchases, £80 for an unpriced open order and £300 for a prepriced order. The cash purchase delegation was last revised in December 1979 and delegations for open and pre-priced orders were last revised in March 1979; UBM Group Ltd. was not consulted in fixing them.