Corporate Bodies’ Contracts Act 1960

Corporate Bodies’ Contracts
Act 1960

2020 REVISED EDITION

This revised edition incorporates all amendments up to and including 1 December 2021 and comes into operation on 31 December 2021

An Act to amend the law governing the making of contracts by or on behalf of bodies corporate; and for connected purposes.

[12 November 1993]

Cases where contracts need not be under seal

1.—(1)  Contracts may be made on behalf of any body corporate, wherever incorporated, as follows:

(a) a contract which if made between private persons would by law be required to be in writing, signed by the parties to be charged therewith, may be made on behalf of the body corporate in writing signed by any person acting under its authority, express or implied; and

(b) a contract which if made between private persons would by law be valid although made by parol only, and not reduced into writing, may be made by parol on behalf of the body corporate by any person acting under its authority, express or implied.

(2)  A contract made according to this section shall be effectual in law, and shall bind the body corporate and its successors and all other parties thereto.

(3)  A contract made according to this section may be varied or discharged in the same manner in which it is authorised by this section to be made.

(4)  Nothing in this section shall be taken as preventing a contract under seal from being made by or on behalf of a body corporate.

(5)  Nothing in this section applies to the making, variation or discharge of a contract before 12 November 1993 except in so far as it was applicable by virtue of section 5 of the Civil Law Act 1909 in force before that date.

Exclusion of companies under Companies Act 1967, etc.

2.  This Act shall not apply to any company as defined in the Companies Act 1967, any limited liability partnership as defined in the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005 or any variable capital company as defined in the Variable Capital Companies Act 2018.

[5/2005]

[S 26/2022 wef 13/01/2022]

Short title

3.  This Act may be cited as the Corporate Bodies’ Contracts Act 1960.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Corporate Bodies’ Contracts Act 1960

 

This Legislative History is a service provided by the Law Revision Commission on a best-efforts basis. It is not part of the Act.

1.  

8 & 9 Eliz. II, c. 46—Corporate Bodies’ Contracts Act, 1960

Commencement

:

29 July 1960

Application

:

12 November 1993

Note:

This Act was declared by the Application of English Law Act 1993 to apply or continue to apply in Singapore on 12 November 1993.

2.  

1994 Revised Edition—Corporate Bodies’ Contracts Act (Chapter 385)

Operation

:

20 May 1994

3.  

Act 5 of 2005—Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005

(Amendments made by section 60(1) read with item (6) of the Sixth Schedule to the above Act)

Bill

:

64/2004

First Reading

:

19 October 2004

Second and Third Readings

:

25 January 2005

Commencement

:

11 April 2005 (section 60(1) read with item (6) of the Sixth Schedule)

4.  

2020 Revised Edition—Corporate Bodies’ Contracts Act 1960

Operation

:

31 December 2021

5.  

G.N. No. S 26/2022—Variable Capital Companies (Consequential Amendments to Other Acts) Order 2022

Commencement

:

13 January 2022

Abbreviations

	(updated on 29 August 2022)
G.N.	Gazette Notification
G.N. Sp.	Gazette Notification (Special Supplement)
L.A.	Legislative Assembly
L.N.	Legal Notification (Federal/Malaysian)
M.	Malaya/Malaysia (including Federated Malay States, Malayan Union, Federation of Malaya and Federation of Malaysia)
Parl.	Parliament
S	Subsidiary Legislation
S.I.	Statutory Instrument (United Kingdom)
S (N.S.)	Subsidiary Legislation (New Series)
S.S.G.G.	Straits Settlements Government Gazette
S.S.G.G. (E)	Straits Settlements Government Gazette (Extraordinary)