The Secretariat wishes to set up a single supplier Framework Agreement for the provision of office furniture and
furniture brokerage services. The Framework Agreement will be effective for up to four (4) years.
The Commonwealth Secretariat (The Secretariat) is an international organisation established by Agreed Memorandum, which is given privileges and immunities under the domestic law of the United Kingdom by the
Commonwealth Secretariat Act 1966 (as amended by the International Organisations Act 2005). Under this legislation, the Secretariat is not subject to UK jurisdiction and enforcement. Further information on the Secretariat can be found at: http://thecommonwealth.org/
This status has an impact on some of the standard terms and conditions of contract (see Appendix 1). In particular, we draw your attention to our dispute resolution clause, which refers disputes to the
exclusive jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitration Tribunal (CSAT). The 8 members of the Tribunal are selected by the Board of Governors and come from Commonwealth member countries. CSAT is located in London, United Kingdom. Information about CSAT, including its governing statute
and procedure are available on its website at http://thecommonwealth.org/tribunal.
The Secretariat implements decisions agreed by 56 Heads of Government and Ministers through advocacy, consensus–building, information sharing, analysis, technical assistance, capacity-building, and advice on
policy development.
