Leading procurement advisers

The Procurement Portal is brought to you by Mills & Reeve, who are top ranked procurement law advisers in the Legal 500 guide to the legal profession, which comments on our team:

"Ron Plascow 'gives pragmatic, clear advice and does not sit on the fence'. Kevin Calder and Alasdair Poore are 'personable, commercially aware and have incredible depth of knowledge'."

Chambers UK describes Ruth Smith as "one of the foremost procurement lawyers in the country" and has commended her "high level of commerciality and ability to explain complex issues in a straightforward manner".

Procurement internet resources

We have set out below links to useful internet resources relating to procurement law. Please note that we are not responsible for the content of external sites. We welcome suggestions of additional sites to add to the list.

Procurement legislation

> Directive 2004/18/EC 

    The main EU procurement Directive, also known as the Classic Directive

> The Public Contracts Regulations 2006 

    The legislation implementing the Classic Directive in England and Wales

> Directive 2004/17/EC

    The EU Utilities Directive, governing procurement in the Utilities sector

> The Utilities Regulations 2006

    The legislation implementing the Utilities Directive in England and Wales

> Directive 2007/66/EC 

    The Remedies Directive

> The Public Contracts (Amendment) Regulations 2009 

    The legislation implementing the Remedies Directive in relation to public contracts

> The Utilities Contracts (Amendment) Regulations 2009

    The legislation implementing the Remedies Directive in relation to utilities contracts

> The Public Procurement (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2011

    The legislation introducing new time limits for procurement challenges, following the Uniplex case

> Draft new Directive on Public Procurement

    Draft text of new Directive on public procurement, expected to be finalised in 2013 and implemented in the UK within two years of that date.

Draft new Directive on Utilities Procurement 

    Draft text of new Directive on utilities procurement, expected to be finalised in 2013 and implemented in the UK within two years of that date.

> Draft new Directive on Service Concessions 

    Draft text of new Directive on service concessions, expected to be finalised in 2013 and implemented in the UK within two years of that date.

> European Commission public procurement legislation

Guidance

> Cabinet Office Public Procurement Policy Notes

    The Cabinet Office's guidance on public procurement policy

> OGC guidance on the public procurement regime (via National Archives)

    Includes guidance on the Remedies Directive, Framework Agreements and the Competitive Dialogue Procedure

> OGC procurement policy and standards framework

    OGC's guidance on procurement (via National Archives)

> Partnerships UK guidance 

    PUK guidance

> OGC model ICT contracts

    OGC model contract documents (via National Archives)

>Procurement thresholds

    EU procurement thresholds (via National Archives)

OJEU notice tools

> SIMAP

    EU tool including official forms and online OJEU notice submission

> Tenders Electronic Daily (TED)

    The official online version of the OJEU

> CPV code search tool 

    Provided by BIP Solutions

> Tenders Direct

    Provides search facility for OJEU notices

> Contracts Finder

    The Business Link Contracts Finder portal for advertising tendering opportunities and publishing tender documentation and contracts

Model contracts

NHS

> Model terms for purchase of goods and services 

    Available from the Department of Health together with guidance notes. The former NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency standard NHS terms (eg MSCON, SYSCON, SIMCON, FMCON) are no longer maintained and are not available online.

ICT

> OGC ICT model agreement 

    Note that this is no longer maintained but continues to be available online through National Archives

Local government

> Model ICT Managed Services Agreement (MISMA) 

    The short form ICT agreement aimed at local authorities is available (registration required) via the Local Partnerships site.

Procurement organisations

> Procurement Lawyers Association

    UK based association which discusses the law underpinning procurement, prepares papers on current issues and provides input to government consultations

> Procurement Law Academic Network

    A global network of academics interested in procurement

> Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply

    Promotes good procurement practice and offers training courses

> Government Procurement Service

    Formerly Buying Solutions, the GPS operate national frameworks for goods and services

> NHS Supply Chain

    Provides procurement and supply chain services to NHS bodies

Procurement helpline

The Procurement Portal aims to provide a "one stop shop" for procurement law queries and advice.

Call 0844 561 6121 to speak to someone in our team or email us with your query.