Not all charities are subject to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (the “Regulations”), but those which are may want to know about the latest in a series of changes made to the Regulations in spring / summer this year: a new Schedule 1 to the Regulations, which comes into force on 16 August.
This is a key schedule which sets out a list of named “central government contracting authorities”. Central government contracting authorities are subject to a lower threshold for supplies and services contracts - £122,976, as opposed to sub-central authorities, which are not expressly listed in Schedule 1 and for which that threshold is £189,330.
Some organisations subject to the Regulations have in this latest change been moved to the list of central government contracting authorities.
For more on the changes, and a link to the new schedule to check whether your charity is affected, if you are unsure, head over to the Procurement Portal.