PFI/PPP

A note on the property and construction issues associated with the establishment of an academy school under section 482 of the Education Act 1996 and the previous government's Academy Delivery Programme. Note added: Section 482of the Education Act 1996 has been  repealed by the Education Act 2011, Schedule 14 paragraph 16 with effect from 1 February 2012.  Under section 15 of the Academies Act 2010, the 1996-Act Academy agreements will be treated as academy arrangements under the Academies Act 2010 and such Academies may turn into 2010 Act Academies if they so agree.  For information on Academies under the Academies Act 2010, see Practice notes, Academies under the Academies Act 2010: overview , Academies under the Academies Act 2010: property issues, Academies under the Academies Act 2010: an overview of the funding agreement  and Academies under the Academies Act 2010: the commercial transfer agreement.

BSF was a long-term programme for investment in England's secondary schools. In July 2010, the government decided not to progress with individual BSF projects that had not reached financial close. Following the end of the new-build BSF programme, we no longer maintain this note.

Public procurement is the purchase of goods or services by public bodies. This Practice note considers the European Union obligations imposed on purchasing authorities to award contracts on an open, competitive and non-discriminatory basis. The options available to a supplier of goods or services where a purchaser does not comply with EU procurement rules are also explored.

A Practice note outlining the various model contracts published by the Office of Government Commerce, including where they can be accessed and when to use them. Note: in 2010 the OGC was transferred from HM Treasury to the Efficiency and Reform Group within the Cabinet Office where it was confirmed that it ceased to exist as a separate entity in 2012. However, the agreements referred to in this note have not yet been superseded and are still available for use (although they are no longer updated by the government).

This Practice note considers the definition of a public concession (works and services) and when it will be appropriate to use one. It also looks at how the procurement regime applies to concessions (including a review of the European Commmission's interpretative communication on concession agreements).This note does not consider the accounting treatment of public concessions.

This note covers the procurement (including outsourcing) of telecommunications and information goods and services by the public sector. The note explains the practical and policy boundaries and regulatory regime for these procurements, examines the use of framework agreements by the public sector, analyses the standard contract documentation developed for the public sector by the Office of Government Commerce and others, and addresses the key contentious issues which arise when the public sector engages with the private sector. NOTE: this practice note is in the process of being rewritten by Richard Bonnar and PLC Public Sector and a revised version will be published during the course of 2013.

A practice note on the mechanisms for making changes to public contracts and the procurement implications arising from making the changes.