Earlier today the procurement functional lead (the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) issued the new versions of the Government model contract templates and an updated user guide. The new templates (version 3) can be found here. The templates have been updated to make a number of improvements, including changes to reflect the updated Government Procurement Rules which came into force in October last year. Government sector agencies can start using the updated templates now.
The changes to the templates also provide a useful reference point for agencies who are still to update their own precedent agreements to ensure compliance with the Government Procurement Rules – although additional changes may need to be made to those precedents depending on the type of projects or services they cover. The Government model contract is not targeted at any particular type of services, so if an agency needs to update a precedent for services within a 'designated contract area', additional amendments may need to be considered. This will apply to construction contract templates, or services such as cleaning or security services. The full list of designated contract areas, and information about the additional requirements that apply, are available here.
