The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and Chief Constable are required to publish information about each item of expenditure exceeding £500 (other than crime and disorder reduction grants), including the recipient of the funds and the reason why the PCC and Chief Constable consider that good value for money has been achieved. This is a requirement of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, as set out in Statutory Instruments 2011 3050 and 2012 2479.
PCCs and Chief Constables have an obligation, in law, to obtain value for money from their purchasing arrangements.
Much of our procurement is carried out using national and local contracts and framework agreements and we may also run mini-tenders using suppliers listed in these frameworks to get further value for money.
Additionally, each year the PCC and Chief Constable’s external auditors check that proper arrangements are in place for securing economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the PCC and Chief Constable’s use of resources, as set out in the Audit Commission Act 1998.
July
The Constabulary Expenditure over £500 can be accessed via their website.
Contracts & Tenders
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and Chief Constable are required to publish a list of 'contracts awarded' and their 'invitations to tender'. They do this throught the Blue Light Procurement Database. The Bluelight Procurement Database (BLPD) is an online information hub aimed at improving visibility and access to contract and procurement information for buyers within the Emergency Services in the United Kingdom.
The BLPD is only available to registered users from member authorities, within the Emergency Services. Suppliers are requested to register free on the Bluelight e-tendering website, found at https://www.blpd.gov.uk/foi/foi.aspx for access to new tender opportunities within the Emergency Services.
All formal contracts arranged by the Durham Constabulary on behalf of the PCC are also registered on the Blue Light Procument Database. You can use the drop down boxes to select Durham Constabulary. You can filter by, particular categories/sub categories and then, for details on specific contracts, click the link under ‘Contract Title’.
Under the legislation there is a requirement to publish the contracts. In some circumstances limited redactions will be made before they are published in order to comply with existing law, to protect commercial interests and for the protection of national security. You can view the contracts.