49—Contracts and tenders policies
(a1) A council must
develop and maintain procurement policies, practices and procedures directed
towards—
(a)
obtaining value in the expenditure of public money; and
(b)
providing for ethical and fair treatment of participants; and
(c)
ensuring probity, accountability and transparency in procurement operations.
(1) Without limiting
subsection (a1), a council must prepare and adopt policies on contracts
and tenders, including policies on the following:
(a) the
contracting out of services; and
(b)
competitive tendering and the use of other measures to ensure that services
are delivered cost-effectively; and
(c) the
use of local goods and services; and
(d) the
sale or disposal of land or other assets.
(2) The policies
must—
(a)
identify circumstances where the council will call for tenders for the supply
of goods, the provision of services or the carrying out of works, or the sale
or disposal of land or other assets; and
(b)
provide a fair and transparent process for calling tenders and entering into
contracts in those circumstances; and
(c)
provide for the recording of reasons for entering into contracts other than
those resulting from a tender process; and
(d) be
consistent with any requirement prescribed by the regulations.
(3) A council may at
any time alter a policy under this section, or substitute a new policy or
policies (but not so as to affect any process that has already commenced).