Public Sector buying organisations must keep and maintain a Contracts Register which contains information on contracts they have awarded which are valued at £50,000 or above excluding VAT for goods and services (also known as regulated procurements).
Quickfire Guide
The minimum information that must be included in the Contracts Register for each contract awarded is as follows:
There are some exceptional circumstances when a procurement officer can withhold some of the above information e.g. if disclosing information were: to impede law enforcement; be contrary to the public interest; prejudice commercial interests of any person; prejudice fair competition between suppliers.
The Contracts Register can be a valuable source of information. As listed above, it will contain information on current contracts and who is supplying them, as well as information on when the next contract is due for renewal.
Public sector buying organisations must make their contract register information publicly available on the internet.
Some public sector buying organisations will publish their contract register information on their own website.
Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) has included a Contracts Register facility for procurement officers to complete.