Government Contracts Act 1966

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 provide for the making of contracts on behalf of the Government and for matters connected therewith.

[15 March 1967]

Short title

1. This Act is the Government Contracts Act 1966.

Contracts on behalf of Government

2.—(1) All contracts made in Singapore for or on behalf of the Government shall, if reduced to writing, be made in the name of the Government and may be signed by a Minister or by any public officer duly authorised in writing by the Minister for Finance, either specially in any particular case, or generally for all contracts below a certain value in his Ministry or department.

(2) In making an authorisation under subsection (1), it shall be sufficient for the Minister for Finance to name the office held by such public officer and the Minister may cause the authorisation to be published in the Gazette.

(3) For the purposes of this section, an individual who is an employee of a statutory body under a secondment arrangement making available temporarily to the Government the service of the individual is deemed to be a public officer during that secondment.

[5/2018]

Contracts made outside Singapore

3. All contracts made outside Singapore for or on behalf of the Government by a person either generally or specially authorised in writing in that behalf by the Minister for Finance shall, so far as they come within the jurisdiction of the courts in Singapore, be deemed to be Government contracts.

No other contracts to be binding

4. No contracts, made after 15 March 1967, shall be binding upon the Government, unless entered into in accordance with this Act and the Constitution.

[11/91]

Limitation of personal liability of public officer

5. No public officer shall be liable to be sued personally upon any contract which he makes in that capacity; but a public officer shall be personally liable when he expressly pledges his personal credit or where he contracts otherwise than as the agent of the Government.

Provision in respect of land

6.—(1) Grants and leases of State lands and leases made under the Foreshores Act 1920 shall be signed by a Collector of Land Revenue.

(2) Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to affect the provisions of any written law in Singapore as to the use or occupation of State land.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Government Contracts Act 1966

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

Pictorial Overview of Predecessor Acts

http://efile.agc.gov.sg/sites/LEGIS/LawRevisionUnit/Documents/Universal%20Law%20Revision/LH%20diagrams%202020/Government%20Contracts%20Act%20(WL)%20(v1)%20(16.6.2020).jpg

Legislative History Details

PART 1
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
ORDINANCE, 1949
(M. ORDINANCE 67 OF 1949)

M. Ordinance 67 of 1949—Government Contracts Ordinance, 1949

Commencement

31 December 1949

Application

16 April 1964 (except section 7)

Note:

This Ordinance was extended in part to Singapore by the Modification of Laws (Government Contracts) (Extension) Order, 1964 (L.N. 108/1964 (G.N. Sp. No. S 69/1964)) on 16 April 1964.

L.N. 108/1964 (G.N. Sp. No. S 69/1964)—Modification of Laws (Government Contracts) (Extension) Order, 1964

Commencement

16 April 1964

Note:

This Order extended the Federation of Malaya Government Contracts Ordinance, 1949 (M. Ordinance 67 of 1949) in part to Singapore.

PART 2
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS ACT 1966
(2020 REVISED EDITION)

Act 43 of 1966—Government Contracts Act, 1966

Bill

42/1966

First Reading

26 October 1966

Second and Third Readings

5 December 1966

Commencement

15 March 1967

1970 Revised Edition—Government Contracts Act (Chapter 34)

Operation

1 March 1971

1985 Revised Edition—Government Contracts Act (Chapter 118)

Operation

30 March 1987

Act 11 of 1991—Statutes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 1991

(Amendments made by section 2 read with item (11) of the Schedule to the above Act)

Bill

4/1991

First Reading

3 January 1991

Second Reading

14 January 1991

Notice of Amendments

14 January 1991

Third Reading

14 January 1991

Commencement

30 November 1991 (section 2 read with item (11) of the Schedule)

2013 Revised Edition—Government Contracts Act (Chapter 118)

Operation

31 August 2013

Act 5 of 2018—Public Sector (Governance) Act 2018

(Amendments made by section 63 of the above Act)

Bill

45/2017

First Reading

6 November 2017

Second Reading

8 January 2018

Notice of Amendments

8 January 2018

Third Reading

8 January 2018

Commencement

1 April 2018 (section 63)

2020 Revised Edition—Government Contracts Act 1966

Operation

31 December 2021

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)

Malaya/Malaysia (including Federated Malay States, Malayan Union, Federation of Malaya and Federation of Malaysia)

Parl.

Parliament

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)