PART 3 U.K.Award of public contracts and procedures

Prospective

CHAPTER 5 U.K.After award, standstill periods and notices

51 Standstill periods on the award of contracts U.K.

(1) A contracting authority may not enter into a public contract before—

(a) the end of the mandatory standstill period, or

(b) if later, the end of another standstill period provided for in the contract award notice.

(2) The “mandatory standstill period” is the period of eight working days beginning with the day on which a contract award notice is published in respect of the contract.

(3) Subsection (1) does not apply in relation to a contract that is—

(a) awarded under section 41 by reference to paragraph 13 of Schedule 5 (direct award: extreme and unavoidable urgency);

(b) awarded under section 41 by reference to regulations under section 42 (direct award to protect life, etc);

(c) awarded under section 41 or 43 (direct award and switching to direct award) by a private utility;

(d) awarded in accordance with a framework;

(e) awarded by reference to a dynamic market;

(f) a light touch contract.

(4) If a contract is of a kind described in subsection (3), a contracting authority may not enter into the contract before the end of any standstill period (a “voluntary standstill period”) provided for in the contract award notice.

(5) A voluntary standstill period may not be less than a period of eight working days beginning with the day on which the contract award notice is published.

Commencement Information

I1 S. 51 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 127(2)