Public contracting authority
A public contracting authority is defined in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as a public body that is subject to and must comply with those regulations.
It defines a ‘contracting authority’ as ‘…the State, regional or local authorities, bodies governed by public law or associations formed by one or more such authorities or one or more such bodies governed by public law, and includes central government authorities, but does not include Her Majesty in her private capacity.’
The contracting authorities are listed in Schedule 1 of the Regulations, and further classified as ‘central government authorities’:
- Cabinet Office
- Charity Commission
- Crown Estate Commissioners (Vote Expenditure Only)
- Crown Prosecution Service
- Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
- Department of Communities and Local Government
- Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- Department for Education
- Department for Energy and Climate Change
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Department of Health
- Department for International Development
- Department of the Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor
- Department for Transport
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- Government Actuary’s Department
- GCHQ
- Home Office
- House of Commons
- House of Lords
- Ministry of Defence
- The National Archives
- National Audit Office
- National Savings and Investments
- Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland
- Office of Fair Trading
- Office for National Statistics
- Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
- Paymaster General’s Office
- Privy Council Office
- HM Revenue and Customs
- Royal Hospital, Chelsea
- Royal Mint
- Rural Payments Agency
- HM Treasury
- Northern Ireland, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
- Northern Ireland, Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
- Northern Ireland, Department of Education
- Northern Ireland, Department of Education
- Northern Ireland, Department for Employment and Learning
- Northern Ireland, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
- Northern Ireland, Department of the Environment
- Northern Ireland, Department of Finance and Personnel
- Northern Ireland, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
- Northern Ireland, Department of Justice
- Northern Ireland, Department for Regional Development
- Northern Ireland, Department for Social Development
- Northern Ireland, Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
- Scotland, Auditor-General
- Scotland, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
- Scotland, General Register Office
- Scotland, Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer
- Scotland, Registers of Scotland
- The Scotland Office
- The Scottish Ministers
- The Scottish Parliamentary Body Corporate
- UK Export Finance
- Higher Education Funding Council Wales
- Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales
- Rent Assessment Committees
- The Wales Assembly Parliamentary Service
- Welsh Language Commissioner
- The Wales Office (Office of the Secretary of State for Wales)
- The Welsh Ministers
- Welsh NHS Bodies
NB The Construction Playbook, Government Guidance on sourcing and contracting public works projects and programmes, published by HM Government in 2020, defines a contracting authority as: ‘All public sector bodies procuring public works (excludes devolved administrations). The Construction Playbook is mandatory for central government departments and arm’s length bodies (ALBs) on a ‘comply or explain’ basis recognising that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach for all public works. The wider public sector is encouraged to take account of the Construction Playbook. ‘
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