Contracts awarded without competition

Most public contracts must be advertised so any supplier can bid. The rules allow exceptions: extreme urgency, only one supplier able to do the work (for example because of exclusive rights), extensions to existing contracts, and call-offs from frameworks where suppliers competed earlier. A contract appearing here is not evidence of wrongdoing. It means the buyer published a notice saying it used one of these routes.

Under the Procurement Act 2023, most direct awards need a transparency notice before the contract is signed, so they can be challenged. Each contract page links to the official notice, which gives the buyer's stated justification.