General Overview of the Act Part 3 – Socially Responsible Public Procurement Chapter 1
58.Chapter 1 sets out definitions of a “public contract”, a “contracting authority” and “public procurement”. It also makes provision for the Welsh Ministers to make regulations to amend the meaning of a contracting authority.
59.Contracting authorities are listed in Schedule 1.
60.The Welsh Ministers are a contracting authority for the purposes of this Part in all but two circumstances where it would be impractical for them to be considered a contracting authority. Under sections 29 and 35 a contracting authority must notify the Welsh Ministers in relation to the inclusion of social public works clauses in major constructions contracts and social public workforce clauses in outsourcing of contracts. In turn, under sections 30 and 36 the Welsh Ministers are required to review any notifications provided by contracting authorities and subsequently publish the outcome of the review into the notification. In addition, under section 41 the Welsh Ministers have a power to investigate how a contracting authority carries out public procurement.