PhD Final Thesis April 2013.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

Thesis Keith Gale 2013and services that are required to be procured and advertised through the OfficialJournal of the European Union as required by the Public Contracts Act 2006. Thesestatutory regulations require a separate advertisement for each project in excess ofthe values stated. Framework agreements allow projects to be aggregated togetherprovided an accurate scope of works is provided, simplifying the procedure into asingle tender exercise for all projects contained within the framework.Figure 2.2: Excerpt from Procurement Policy Note regarding threshold levels ofcontracts subject to European procurement regulations (Cabinet Office 2011).In addition to savings with transactions costs, there are benefits to be obtained due toadherence with European requirements for minimum tendering time periods. Suchminimum periods are mandatory and vary according to the choice of procedureselected – an open procedure requires a minimum of 52 days between issue ofinvitation and completed tender response. Construction projects are often procuredusing the restricted procedure where suppliers are graded using a two stage process –stage one is prequalification and stage two is the tendering period. The latterprocedure requires an overall minimum of 77 days. Examples of statutory minimumEuropean Union time scales are shown in Figure 2.3.An aggregation effect under a framework agreement also allows a reduction in tenderperiods for individual project work packages which, once the framework has been37