§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what guidelines are currently in force in his department and its executive agencies relating to competitive tendering and the use of single negotiated tenders; on what grounds single negotiated tenders can be used; and what procedures are in place within his Department to ensure that the use of single negotiated tenders in competitive tendering processes is justified in all cases; [22856]
(2) how many contracts for goods or services have been awarded by his Department and its executive agencies on the basis of single negotiated contracts in each of the last three years; if he will list the companies involved and the value of the contract in each case; what percentage this represented of contracts awarded by his Department and its agencies after competitive tendering; and, in each case, why the contracts were awarded on the basis of a single negotiated tender. [22871]
§ Mr. HagueThe Government's public purchasing policy consolidated guidelines require goods and services to be acquired by competition unless there are convincing reasons to the contrary. In addition, the EC procurement regulations and World Trade Organisation Government procurement agreement require most contracts above specified thresholds to be awarded following competition, subject to certain specified exceptions. the Treasury's central unit on procurement's guidance note No. 40 provides an overview of best practice in the competitive tendering process.
My Department requires senior officers to obtain written approval for single negotiated contracts valued above £1,000 from the head of finance programmes division, who is advised by the head of procurement. The Department's executive agency, Cadw, requires the agreement of its chief executive for single negotiated contracts valued above £10,000 and the agreement of the appropriate head of branch for those valued below £10,000.
Information on the number, value and percentage of single negotiated contracts awarded, the companies involved and the reasons why such contracts were awarded is not available in the form requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.