A survey of public sector procurement in England

Contractor procurement continues to feed the interest of practitioners and academics. One reason, is the fact that due to the inherently disparate nature of this task, standardisation is difficult. This paper contributes to the knowledge of contractor procurement by analysing local authority (LA) practice in England. The main research aim was to ascertain whether lowest price remains the 'goal' with associated objectives being to: observe trends in LA procurement; assess perceptions of EU procurement directives, best value philosophy, Latham, Egan and Constructionline; and measure opinion of the most important selection criteria. Main findings include that: 50% of LAs consider lowest tender most important; 80% of projects are assigned using single-stage tenders with 70% of work let on a lump-sum basis; 37% of LAs easily complied with EU directives; only 11% considered lowest tender to provide value for money; 50% were positive regarding the Latham and Egan reports; and 74% were negative about Constructionline. Principal contractor evaluation criteria are financial standing, technical ability, health and safety record, experience and quality record. Recommendations include that LAs should: accept the best, not cheapest tender; use more 'non-conventional' procurement; and apply more standard procurement regimes.