THE CHANCELLERY OF CONTRACT AFFAIRS (TO THE HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT IN RUSSIA IN PETER THE GREAT’S TIME)
The purpose of the article is to research the history of creation and formation of the Chancellery of Contract Affairs – the first supervisory and regulatory body in the field of public procurement in Russia. The early history of the Contracting Chancellery (1715–1717) can be traced in the context of the development of legislative and administrative regulation of public procurement during the reign of Peter the Great. The institution of public procurement itself, according to the author, is associated with the acquisition of distinct features of the modern state by Russia, which was manifested in the previous time. The immediate impetus for the development of the institution was the reform of the armed forces and the resulting mobilization efforts of the supreme power. The very content of the research predetermined the use of source-based and historical-legal methods. As a result of the study, the author states that the creation of a special body – the Chancellery of Contract Affairs, designed to take control of the situation under state contracts, turned out to be the right decision. The well-coordinated work of the Contracting Chancellery with the Senate, fiscal authorities and investigative bodies led to the creation of a number of important regulatory legal acts, almost ‘from scratch’ forming the legislative basis for the institution of public procurement functioning. The need for further work on the designated topic is noted.