Commentary on Sections Background
1009.Section 17 of the 1988 Act prevents public bodies to which that Part applies from introducing certain non-commercial matters into the procurement process; these are set out at subsection 5 of that Act. Section 18 of the 1988 Act ensured that section 17 of that Act did not restrict those authorities from complying with their duties under the Race Relations Act 1976. It achieved this by permitting those authorities to ask six approved questions of their contractors.
1010.The Local Government Best Value (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/9090) modified sections 17(5)(a) and (d) of the 1988 Act so that matters relating to the terms and conditions of employment etc. of a contractor’s workforce, and the conduct of contractors or their workers in industrial disputes cease to be non-commercial matters only so far as necessary or expedient to permit or facilitate compliance with the best value requirements of the Local Government Act 1999 or the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment Regulations) 1981. Similar amendments were made for Scotland and Wales.