2. Decision to launch the consultation procedure

Once the need has been defined, the public purchaser must decide to launch the consultation procedure. Whatever the procedure used, this decision is made by the competent authority at the head of the administration concerned:

• for government contracts, ministers for central government contracts, prefects for local government contracts;

• for local authority contracts, the local executive (mayor, president of the general council, president of the regional council), it being specified that the possibility of launching the procedure without prior deliberation by the deliberative assembly (municipal council, general council, regional council) does not prevent such deliberation from being requested;

• for contracts with national or local public establishments, the Chairman or Director....