§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what reason the Royal Parks Agency did not invite open tenders for the pirate ship in Kensington Palace Gardens; and if he will make a statement. [116296]
§ Mr. Alan Howarth[holding answer 27 March 2000]: Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency and I have asked them to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Viviane Robertson to Mr. Paul Tyler, dated 3 April 2000:
Pending the appointment of a new Chief Executive, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the tender for the ship in Kensington Gardens, which is an operational matter for which the Agency is responsible.In commissioning the design and construction of the play ship in the Diana, Princess of Wales playground in Kensington Gardens, the Agency followed the guidance in the "Guide to the Appointment of Consultants and Contractors" produced by Property Advisers to the Civil Estate. This guide promotes the procurement of services on the basis of best value for money. There is no requirement under this procedure to invite open tenders because the EC procurement rules do not apply in the case of this contract.The Agency identified some 70 suppliers and from them drew up a list of 7 potential tenderers. This in turn was reduced to a short list of three by evaluating them against the original selection criteria. The three short-listed companies were interviewed and the contract was awarded to the company which, in the opinion of the Agency, met the selection criteria and offered the best value for money.