The tendering process

There are procurement procedures in place that require officers to invite quotations and tenders to demonstrate Best Value. Potential suppliers are either invited as a result of short listing pre-qualification process or may be invited under open arrangements in response to an advert (or "notice"). Tenders and quotations are assessed using evaluation criteria relevant to the contract.

Assessment Criteria

In the tendering process each tender is evaluated according to award criteria published in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) or Invitation to Quote (ITQ). It is important that you know what is important to the council in the evaluation process and therefore weightings are also published.

Each tender will contain a detailed specification of the goods, service or works required. You will be required to confirm that your goods, services or works meet the specification and stated evaluation criteria. You will be required to accept the council's Terms and Conditions.

Evaluation factors may include:

Operational Considerations

Delivery lead times and performance
Sustainability
Sales and marketing support
Management information
Partnership working
Account and Contract Management including KPIs

Goods/Services Offered

Extent to which they meet the minimum requirement
Qualities above the minimum requirement that offer better value for money
Conformity to standards
Quality
Support arrangements

Cost of Acquisition

Initial price
Conditions of price (e.g. fixed, with or without variation, etc.)
Payment terms
Warranties and Guarantees offered
Support costs
Maintenance costs
Administration of contract
Payment method

Method Statement

Method statements are frequently requested as part of a tender and are intended to give the company an opportunity to show how they can provide the goods or service and give the council an insight into the company's methods of operation. Areas which can be included in the method statement are:

Your method of working
How you intend to deliver the contract and in what timescale
How the programme will be resourced
Your definition of quality
How you will measure quality
Proposed sub-contractors
Transitional / start-up arrangements
Training
Proposals for continuous improvement