All purchasing activities take place within a context of legal regulation, a context that has been taking on increasing importance in recent years. This book provide a clear and concise account of the underlying legal principles which affect the purchasing function. A new component of the third edition is an additional appendix which contains recent cases involving procurement law issues. These are kept separate from the main body of the book and are not essential for purposes of revising for the Legal Aspects exam. However, they do provide useful examples of how the courts have been interpreting the law in relation to a wide range of procurement activities in the recent past. These include the EU public procurement rules, contract formation, assessment of claimable damages, limitations of liability, the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations, the Freedom of Information Act, and the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act.