Is there any justification for approaching one company to fulfil a contract without going out to competition?

Answer Usually not. Single tender action is, by its very nature, contrary to achieving value for money through open and fair competition. However, there are two exceptional circumstances when single tendering might be justified: (a) Where the work is directly related to a recently completed contract, and the added value gained from the additional work being given to the same contractor outweighs any potential reduction in price that may be derived through competitive tendering.NB. It is unlikely that this approach would be justified where resultant contracts are of high value. (b) The expertise required is only available from one source (this may be due to ownership of exclusive design rights or patents, but the specification should be reviewed to ensure that a substitute product would not be able to meet users' requirements). As with all single tender actions over £4,000 an appropriate Business Case will need to be raised and signed off. To further clarify contact PCoE for further ...  more