National Rules in Northern Ireland – The Government Guidelines:

The Government Guidelines, "Government Accounting Northern Ireland" (GANI), provide an overview of the policy framework within which public procurement is to be conducted.

Accountability & Accountancy Services Division website

The Guidelines and the UK Government Regulations (enacting the European Procurement Directives) are the key regulations governing procurement in Northern Ireland.

The Guidelines state that all public procurement of goods and services is to be based on Value for Money.

This is defined as the optimum combination of whole-life cost and quality to meet the user's requirements. It must have due regard to propriety, fairness and compliance with regulations.

The guidelines also recommend purchasers to:

  • Keep bidding costs to the minimum necessary for effective competition
  • Remove barriers to participation by small firms and the self-employed without discriminating against larger firms

To seek only information from potential bidders as is necessary:

  • To establish that it is not inappropriate to enter into a contract with the company
  • To evaluate their economic and financial standing and potential capacity to deliver the contract
  • In particular, purchasers should not seek information which they cannot legitimately take into account.

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