On 1 January 2016, revised EU public procurement thresholds come into force in the UK. Public sector procurements with an estimated value in excess of these thresholds are legally required to follow the European procurement process, which was transposed into UK law as the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
This, for instance, means that all contract notices for procurement valued above EU thresholds must be published throughout the EU via the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
The thresholds are set in Euros, and every two years the European Commission publishes the equivalent values in pound sterling, based on the average daily value of the Euro.
Although the value in Euros has increased, the revised UK 2016 thresholds show a decrease, due to the exchange rates. These threshold values will apply from 1 January2016 to 31 December 2017.
The new thresholds will apply to all contracting authorities, as defined by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, including all central government departments, their Executive
Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies, Executive Agencies and the wider public sector. It also contains information relevant to utilities as defined by the Utilities Contracts Regulations.
Enquiries about the new thresholds should be directed to the Crown Commercial Service Helpdesk (0345 410 2222).
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