§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how the costs of preparing an in-house bid for multi-service contracts either wholly or individually, within the health boards in Scotland, are assessed; and what advantage these in-house tenders have over that of a private contractor bidding for the same contract.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 3 July 1989]: No assessment of the cost of preparing an in-house bid is made for the purposes of comparing tenders which, whether in or out-house, are treated on an equal footing.
§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions an in-house tender has been awarded by health boards in Scotland for catering contracts where a private contractor submitted a lower tender, if he approved this action; if he will call upon the appropriate health board to reconsider its decision; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 3 July 1989]: Boards have reported two cases of a catering contract being awarded to an in-house team where a private contractor has submitted a lower bid. Boards report the circumstances of such an award, but there is no requirement for boards to seek the approval of the Secretary of State for such an action and no health board has been asked to reconsider its decison.
§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he proposes to take to draw the attention of health boards to Government policy on competitive tendering.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 3 July 1989]: Boards are already well aware of the Government's policy on competitive tendering and I do not propose to issue any additional advice at this time.
§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from private contractors regarding the award of multi-service contracts, either as a whole, or in part, within the National Health Service in Scotland; and what was his response.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 3 July 1989]: None.
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§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what system operates in his Department to monitor in-house contracts which have been awarded within the National Health boards in Scotland, to ensure that the operations carried out are up to the prescribed conditions in the tender documents; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 3 July 1989]: It is for health boards to monitor standards of performance in respect of contracts whether in or out-house.