Procurement

Procurement concerns the purchasing of goods and services by the Government and other public bodies. The procurement rules are aimed at ensuring that the public procurement market is open and competitive and that suppliers are treated equally and fairly. The procurement rules originate from EU Directives which were implemented through regulations, most notably the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The Regulations set out the legislative framework that governs how goods, works and services are bought by public bodies, known in the Regulations as Contracting Authorities. 

Following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, the majority of EU law was saved and incorporated into UK law. In England and Wales, the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 became known as preserved EU derived domestic legislation; part of a body of retained EU law.

The UK Government made the following regulations - The Public Procurement (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, using powers under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, which correct deficiencies to ensure that the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 continued to operate effectively once the UK left the European Union. Therefore, the framework and principles underlying the procurement regime remain largely unchanged. Changes are largely technical and limited to those that are appropriate to reflect the UK’s new status outside the EU.