Contract management and contract register

We are required under our Contract Procedure Rules to enter into a formal contract for the supply of goods and services that amount to £60,000 or more in value.

Each contract will be awarded following an appropriate tendering process that may be one of the following:

• Open Tender - At least 14 days' public notice will be given in one or more of the local newspapers circulating in our area, and in such trade journals as the Chief Officer responsible for the tender considers appropriate.

Expressions of Interest are sought for:

• Special List - A list of tenderers invited to submit tenders will be compiled by the appropriate Chief Officer where the circumstances of the work are not adequately dealt with using either of the above two processes.

• European Union Procurement - Where the value of the work to be submitted to competitive tender falls within the definitions of the European Procurement Regulations, and exceeds their financial thresholds, the appropriate European Union procurement regime will be implemented to establish an appropriate tender list.

In all instances, tenders will be supported by conditions of contract, specification and appropriate payment schedules that will be used to implement, monitor and manage the provision of the goods or services to us. The extent to which the contract is to deliver quality and performance will be specified in the contract documentation, together with any monitoring and incremental improvements required during the term of the contract.

Each tender will also require tenderers to consider the health and safety aspects of their bid, and to provide appropriate risk assessments and method statements in support of their proposed method of working, in compliance with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Contracts are normally managed by the appropriate Chief Officer and relevant staff and may, on occasions, be managed on our behalf by a professional consultant.

We procure a wide range of goods and services from external suppliers. A list of these contracts has been compiled containing brief details about each.

Service contracts register