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Supplier guide - tender advice

This guide gives businesses and other organisations a better understanding of how we procure works, goods and services. It explains our approach to the seeking and acceptance of tenders and quotations, along with the relevant National and European legislation governing our approaches. There is a great deal of competition for our contracts, in order to win business potential suppliers will need to be competitive in price and provide high quality goods and services.

How to tender for our contracts

How to tender

The tender documents we send out to suppliers contain details of our requirements. The documents, particularly the specification, should be read carefully and all information completed fully and accurately. If you do not understand any part of the specification or other documents, you should contact the Council officer named in the tender documentation and request further information. This must be done before the tender period closes. A deadline date will often be set for enquiries, which must be observed as no further enquiries will be dealt with after this deadline has passed.

You should be aware that copies of all queries received and responses will be copied to all companies competing for the business.

Whichever tendering procedure the we adopt, tenderers should carefully read the advert, tender documents and instructions for tendering and pay close attention to:

  • When and where to return a bid (time and date and correct building)
  • Using unmarked packaging, excluding company logo etc
  • Returning the bid in the format requested
  • Answering the questions we ask, not the ones you wanted us to ask
  • Providing all information required
  • Giving thorough responses to all elements of the tender document
  • Signing and dating documentation where instructed
  • Giving us references and referees that are relevant to the contract you are bidding for
  • Distinguish yourself from the competition
  • Be innovative and offer us creative solutions which can add value to the customers we serve.
  • Help us to become more efficient by offering alternatives

Sometimes the information the Council receives from suppliers is unclear or requires further clarification. Once again you should provide any additional information by the requested deadline.

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Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) Stage

Pre-qualification is an additional step in the supplier selection process, but can be helpful where large numbers of responses to a tender are expected, or where there is a requirement on suppliers to deliver creative solutions to satisfy the requirements.

The PQQ requires the applicant to provide evidence of its financial standing and technical expertise including professional or other relevant qualifications and references from similar works being undertaken with other bodies. The information received will be evaluated against predetermined Council criteria and those applicants considered most suitable to undertake the contract will be invited to tender for the contract. We have a Pre Qualification Questionnaire that is tailored to meet individual contract needs.

Pre qualification questionnaire (pdf, 503Kb)

  • The sort of criteria considered include:
  • Financial standing.
  • Technical capabilities including membership of appropriate bodies.
  • Professional capabilities including membership of appropriate bodies.
  • Previous experience in the areas of contracting you are undertaking.
  • Environmental track record.
  • Health and Safety track record.
  • Equalities track record.

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Tender Documentation

We are aware that there is a cost to suppliers in competing for our business and therefore we try and keep the documentation proportionate to the size and the risk of the contract. We also try to construct the document so that the offers from suppliers arrive in a standard format which are easy to evaluate.

If you are successful in your application for a tender, we will forward a set of tender documents to you. (Note - if the tender process is a "2 stage" approach you will be initially receive a PQQ - Business Questionnaire. Only shortlisted companies passing the PQQ stage will receive tender documentation).

Our tender documentation generally comprises:

  • Invitation to tender letter including details of how, where \nd when tenders are to be returned.
  • Instructions to tenderers. Guidance for completing the tender documentation, including Conditions of Tender.
  • The Specification. Describing the work and the standards that are required and including a general summary of the context of the contract and the desired outcomes.
  • Tender Proposal - Details of your bid, i.e. method statement pricing etc. You will be expected to respond to questions about how you intend to provide the service including supporting evidence demonstrating relevant experience.
  • Contact and payment information sheet.
  • The Terms and Conditions (both standard and special) of the contract: This sets out the contract that will be entered into between the Council and the appointed contractor.
  • The Pricing Document: This enables the tenderer to set out and provide a price for the work.
  • Equality Questionnaire.
  • Health and Safety Questionnaire.
  • Environmental Questionnaire.
  • Collusion and canvassing declaration.
  • A Form of Tender.
  • Tender Return Label

Other documents you may be provided with include site plans, drawings and other supplementary information to aid the bidder to submit an informed tender.

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What we look for in a supplier

Supplier selection is based on overall value for money. Whilst price is important, we will always consider aspects such as previous performance, quality, reliability, safety, good design, timely delivery, maintenance and after sales support before arriving at a decision which offers the best overall value to the Council.

Potential suppliers must demonstrate their financial, commercial and technical capability to fully meet the contractual requirements under tender. We will also take account of a company's past performance with reference to contracts of a similar nature, both with the Council and other organisations. We will also be looking for a clear demonstration of commitment to the our policies.

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Procurement policies, regulations and guidelines

Suppliers need to demonstrate their commitment to the policies, regulations and guidelines

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How we evaluate tenders

Tender Evaluation

Returned tenders are evaluated against pre-determined criteria usually by an evaluation panel, to ensure a fair and objective decision is reached. Because of the nature of our contracts, it is unlikely that they will be awarded on the basis of price alone. We will award the contract to the supplier it considers offers the most value for money. For this reason, our main evaluation criterion will be the "most economically advantageous tender" (MEAT) as determined by the criteria set out in the tender documents.

The award criteria will vary depending on the type of contract. Examples of award criteria, in addition to price, are quality, value for money, compliance experience, technical merit, financial viability, flexibility to future changes to our requirements, speed of project delivery, etc.

We will tell suppliers the key criteria against which offers will be evaluated as part of our tender processes.

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Award of Contract

An evaluation team will examine each tender received and make recommendations to the Council as to which represents the best tender. We will award the contract based on this advice. Once the contract has been awarded, the successful and unsuccessful tenderers will be notified. Unsuccessful tenderers may obtain feedback of their tendering performance by applying in writing to the Council.

A contract award notice, if required, will be placed either in OJEU or on our website within 3 months of the contract being awarded.

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Debriefing

We will always endeavour to offer unsuccessful tenderers, within the limits of commercial confidentiality, feedback as to why their bid has failed. Areas of information which we will provide feedback on include:

  • In the non-price areas (i.e. quality, delivery arrangements, etc.) we will provide a broad outline of the reasons why the bid did not match our original requirements
  • If price was the deciding factor, we will provide an indication of the differential between your bid and the successful contractor’s bid.
  • Once the contract has been awarded, the name of the successful tenderer and the value of the contract will generally become publicly available.

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How we pay our suppliers

Payment terms are normally set out in the contract documents. They may be stage payments, annual / quarterly / monthly payments, payment on completion or payment per purchase order. Payment is made within 30 days of receipt of a correct invoice, unless otherwise agreed.

To ensure that your payment is dealt with efficiently and to avoid delays, please ensure that you:

  • Submit the invoice in the format agreed in the contract;
  • Quote the order number and contract title if appropriate;
  • Address it to the correct officer and location;
  • Ensure that it is mathematically correct;
  • Include as much information as possible about what the payment is for;
  • Only include requests for payment of supplied goods or services;

We currently make payment by BACS or Cheque. BACS transfer is our preferred method of payment. Procurement cards will be used in some areas of the Authority from 1st April 2006.

Procurement Cards are used for travel, petty cash, food, accommodation, etc.

  • Credit card transactions where the invoice is replaced by a bank statement
  • A compliment to e Purchase Orders
  • High Volume / low value purchases / Emergency

They offer the following benefits to both the Authority and the Supplier:

  • Payment within 4 days by the bank
  • Fewer invoices/statements
  • Fewer points of contact for queries

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Monitoring the contract

We believe that effective contract management is key to a successful relationship between the council and the supplier. We expect you to manage your part of the business and work with us pro-actively to improve the performance and value for money of the contract over its lifetime.

For high value contracts or for contracts identified as carrying significant risk, regular meetings with the supplier will happen in the early stages of the contract. Depending on the contract, regular could mean daily, weekly or monthly. Once the contract is running smoothly and the contracted performance levels are being delivered the frequency of these reviews may be reduced.

We understand that contract monitoring and performance management is a two-way process. For example, we may set targets for suppliers to achieve cost reductions during the life of the contract. This may in turn result in the supplier asking us to make changes to our processes in order that cost reductions can be realised. You can be assured that we will work with you to achieve any potential cost savings.

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