The first edition of Purchasing Contracts was published in 2001. It was intended to be of assistance to those whose work is with contracts for the procurement of goods and services rather than yet another contract law textbook. The author, Graham Fuller, said in the preface to the first edition that, in earlier times, a book of this kind might regarded as a compact manual intended to serve its owner as a friendly companion. The second edition has grown in size, as friendly companions tend to do with the passing of the years, and contains additional chapters including one on the special rules governing purchasing by public bodies and utilities. The subjects of misrepresentation, exemption clauses and electronic contracting are amongst those that have been updated and covered in more detail. The bill currently going through Parliament on bribery is also dealt with.
