The CCS publishes a new short form contract for low value procurements

The Crown Commercial Service has published a new base short form contract for low value public sector procurements. The contract does not include overly complex terms which can often increase costs and act as a barrier to the involvement of SMEs.

There is useful guidance included for Buyers which makes it clear that the contract is not suitable for:

• outsourced services where a relevant TUPE transfer is likely to occur;
• works contracts as there are industry standard forms of contract available (e.g. NEC3 and JCT); or
• IT contracts where there are other frameworks which can be used.

Buyers should be careful to ensure that they put in place an early warning system to ensure that any extensions or variations do not cause the contract to fall within the scope of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Link to related article: www.gov.uk/government/publications/short-form-terms-and-conditions