§ Dr. NaysmithTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made on untying her Department's procurement following the White Paper commitment. [157796]
§ Clare ShortDFID is untying by applying the Public Procurement Regulations from 1 April to invite global competition for all new contracts above a threshold value of £93,896. Implementation will be a challenge and we have agreed to share the practical lessons with other development agencies in line with our commitment to international untying. The new policy will not disrupt current programmes. For this financial year only, DFID will consider extension to current contracts where that is necessary for operational reasons and the initial invitation to tender made it clear that a contract may be extended.