Commentary on Sections General duties Section 14 – Other circumstances in which contract can be awarded without competition
30.Section 14 gives the Scottish Ministers a regulation-making power to specify circumstances in which a contracting authority may, as an exception to the requirement to treat all bidders equally and without discrimination (section 8(1)), award a regulated contract without seeking offers in relation to the proposed contract. The power is subject to the affirmative procedure.
31.In the case of direct award outlined in section 14(1), the contracting authority is exempted from the requirement to publicise its intention to seek offers set out in section 23(1).