 RESTRICTED  
  
GPA/ACC/GBR/28  
 
6 May 2020  
(20-3475) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Government Procurement  Original: English  
 
ACCESSION OF THE UNI TED KINGDOM TO THE A GREEMENT ON GOVERNME NT 
PROCUREMENT IN ITS O WN RIGHT  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM  
The following communication, dated 6 May 2020, is being circulated at the request of the Delegation 
of the United Kingdom.  
 
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UNITED KINGDOM'S RES PONSE TO COMMENTS FR OM UKRAINE (GPA/ACC/GBR/26) ON 
THE UNITED KINGDOM'S  UPDATED REPLIES TO THE CHECKLIST OF ISSUES FOR 
PROVISION OF INFORMATION RELATING  TO ACCESSION TO  THE REVISED  
AGREEMENT  ON GOVERNMENT PROCUR EMENT (GPA/ACC/GBR/2 /REV.1)  
 
COVID -19 
Ukraine asks the United Kingdom to provide information on current internal policy and  
regulations which is now applicable regarding procure ments needed to counteract the 
COVID -19. Does the United Kingdom apply the EU practices and regulations or act 
according to internal policies?  
In accordance with the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement agreed between the U nited Kingdom  and 
European Union the core body of E uropean Union's  law is applicable to and in the U nited Kingdom  
until the end of the transition period. The U nited Kingdom  has its own policy response to the 
COVID -19 outbreak but this complies with the U nited Kingdom 's obligations in international and 
European Union's  law. 
The U nited Kingdom  has not passed any legislation in the field of procurement in response to the 
COVID -19 outbreak but has issued domestic guidance on best practice for public sector procurement 
in the form of Procur ement Policy Notes.  
Procurement Policy Note PPN 01/20  - Responding to COVID -19. This sets out guidance for 
authorities in applying existing domestic legislation. For example procurement procedures without 
prior publication of a contract notice in exception al circumstances (regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public 
Contracts Regulations 2015), the use of accelerated timescales or extending or modifying a contract 
during its term.  
Procurement Policy Note PPN 02/20  - Supplier relief due to COVID -19. This sets out guid ance 
for public bodies on payment of their suppliers to ensure service continuity during and after the 
current COVID -19 outbreak.  
Procurement Policy Note 03/20 : Use of procurement cards - COVID -19 regarding guidance on 
the use of procurement cards to suppo rt cash flow for suppliers.  
A copy of these notes is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/procurement -
policy -notes  GPA/ACC/GBR/28  
 
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  Additionally the Scottish Government has published similar Scottish Procurement Policy Notes: 
Procurement regulations during COVID -19 outbreak SPPN 4/2020 and Coronavirus (COVID -19): 
suppli er relief SPPN 5/202 and Coronavirus (COVID -19): making best use of procurement resources 
during COVID -19 outbreak SPPN 6/2020.  
A copy of these notes is available at: https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish -procurement -policy -
notes -sppns/  
United Kingdom's legislation and regulations  
In relation to your comment that the Ukraine is 'waiting for the submission of the United Kingdom 's 
legislation and regulations which  will follow the transition period', we wanted to clarify that the 
United Kingdom 's Updated Replies to the Checklist of Issues (GPA/ACC/GBR/2/Rev.1) sets out the 
framework of the U nited Kingdom 's legislation and regulations which are relevant to its GPA 
membership.  
Should there be any relevant changes to our laws and regulations once we are a GPA member, we 
will notify the GPA in accordance with Article XXII:5 of the Revised GPA.  
 
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