(1) The Public Procurement Office may, with or without conditions, authorise a departure from a provision of an instruction, issued terms of section 5(2) if—
(a) it is impractical to comply with the instruction;
(b) market conditions or behaviour do not allow effective application of the instruction; or
(c) national security could reasonably be expected to be compromised.
(2) The Public Procurement Office must, with or without conditions, authorise a departure from a provision of an instruction, issued terms of section 5(2) if it is impossible or uneconomical to comply with the instruction.
(3) If a request for a departure is made in terms of subsection (1) or (2), the Public Procurement Office must make a decision within 30 days after receipt of all the relevant documents.
(4) If a departure is authorised in terms of subsection (1), the Public Procurement Office must, within 14 days, inform the Auditor-General and publish the departure.
(5) Subsections (1) to (4) apply with the necessary changes to an instruction issued by a provincial treasury in terms of section 6(2).