Selling guide

We have to comply with certain rules and regulations when buying goods and services, which include EU directives on public procurement.

EU directives on public procurement

Contracts for more than £156,442 of goods and services and more than £3,927,260 for works have to be advertised in the Official Journal for the European Union. The advertisements have time limits and there are procedures to follow.

Financial limits for council transactions

In addition to the EU Directives, our Constitution includes its own Contract and Tenders Standing Orders, to which all budget holders must adhere:

For transactions valued at more than £8,000 but less than £50,000, at least three written quotations must be invited before a formal purchase order is issued, specifying the supplies, services or works, and setting out prices, terms and conditions of contract and terms of payment. Faxed or e-mailed quotations are acceptable in these cases.
For transactions valued at, or more than, £50,000, a formal tender process must be conducted where no fewer than three competitive tenders must be sought. The selection of who is invited to tender is at the discretion of the council and may be informed by responses to a public notice (advertisement), by invitation to a number of firms on an approved list or, if there is no approved list, invited from firms that the council considers suitable.

More information about our process for contracts and tenders is available in our Spending the Council's Money (PDF, 4362K) and standing orders (PDF, 83k) documents.

All contractors working for us should be aware of the contents of our Whistleblowing Policy.

Tendering

We tender our contracts to get the best value for money, ensure our processes are transparent and to maximise competition.

Below is a general outline of the tender process. Not every stage will be used on all occasions. The size, value and sensitivity of the contract being awarded will determine the choice of the tender process used.

Advertising the requirement
Expression of interest
Pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ)
Evaluation of the PQQ
Tender documents sent out
Evaluation of the tender submissions
Award of contract

We will accept:

written queries about your submission
general questions about any aspect of the process

We will not accept:

tenders after the closing date and time
telephone enquiries (unless specifically invited)
lobbying for information from elected Members or officers involved.

Our promise to you

We are committed to using a mixed range of suppliers to help stimulate a varied and competitive marketplace. To achieve this, we will take a proactive role in our interaction with suppliers.

We promise to treat each supplier, prospective supplier and enquirer with fairness and respect. We will be helpful and considerate at all times to all those who require our assistance. We will follow a fully auditable process that is compliant with public procurement legislation and give feedback to unsuccessful bidders upon request, following the award of a contract.

To find out more about becoming a preferred or approved supplier, visit our property and social care pages.