asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Andrews on 20 June (WA 69), how government frameworks to ensure transparency in the procurement process are scrutinised; and how members of the public can access the results of such scrutiny and audit reports.[HL6545]

Framework agreements are established in compliance with all applicable EC and UK law. This ensures that open competitions are used when selecting suppliers who are able to offer best value for money. The responsibility for procurement decisions lies with departments, which have to lay an annual report before Parliament and are subject to review by the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee. They are also subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which allows members of the public to ask questions about their operations.