Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason his Department's consultation on transposition of the EU public procurement directive was limited to four weeks.

This consultation on the draft Public Contracts Regulations 2015 complies with the Government’s Consultation Principles, and formally concludes a long-running period of continuous UK stakeholder engagement that commenced in 2011 when the European Commission’s own consultations began.

Following the publication of a Procurement Policy note in late 2013, the Cabinet Office engaged with stakeholders interested in specific policy areas. The comprehensive feedback from this exercise meant that a four week consultation period was appropriate and proportionate given the limited scope and impact of the remaining issues on which to consult.

This consultation attracted a large number of responses, which shows the period allowed was reasonable.