Procurement Awareness

Gus de SilvaProcurement & Commercial Advisor

Procurement Team – Cambridgeshire County Council

Aims• By the end of this session, participants will:

– have been introduced to procurement processes and principles of good procurement practice.

– be familiar with Council quoting processes and tender procedures and the EU rules.

What is procurement?

The process of acquiring goods, works and servicescovering both acquisitions from third parties

or from in house providers.

The procurement process spans the whole life cycle from the initial concept and definition of business needs,

through to the recycling or end of useful life of an asset or the end of a service contract.

What is different about how the Council procure?

• Spending public money

• Governed by EU Regulations

• Governed by Government policy objectives

• The Council’s local Constitution

• Accountability / Freedom of Information

How do we tell providers about contract opportunities?

Advertising

Source (Cambridgeshire)• We want the Source Cambridgeshire

website to be the first point of call for providers searching for contract opportunities with Local Government in Cambridgeshire.

• It gives council staff and providers information on new contract opportunities in Cambridgeshire, and a list of recurring contracts which you may be able to bid for in future.

• Providers can register for alerts on new opportunities for various scopes and criteria.

• The value shown for each contract opportunity will be the “Total Value” of the contract.

So what is meant by “Total Value”?

• The whole of the value or estimated value (in money or equivalent value) inclusive of set up costs, staff costs, supporting elements etc

• If an opportunity is split into LOTS or stages, the Total Value will cover ALL of the LOTS and Stages

• The total price to be paid or which might be paid during the whole of the period.

How do you know you are getting the best value when you buy?

Competition

Council’s Regulations

• Up to £2k – Multiple Quotes not Necessary.• 3 Quotes up to £30k.• 3 Formal Quotes £30k - £100k.• 3 Tenders >£100k.

Where the Total Value is up to £100k...

Request For Quotation (RFQ) process

The Request For Quotation process (RFQs)

Quote will state deadlines, rules, format (more on this later) but most importantly:

“Specification of Requirements”

Specifying what you want1.Scope and location2.Responsibilities3.Term4.Timetables5.Working Methods6.Codes of Practice7.Performance Targets8.Reporting9.Training10.CRBs 11.Communication with Council or Others12.Accommodation

Responding to an RFQ?

•Recognise what CCC say is essential, and what is desirable?

•What are the key weightings - e.g. price 70%, quality 30%?

•What are they giving higher scores for?

•Respond on time!

•Check you’ve responded correctly and what you have written makes sense.

Where the Total Value is Over £100k...

Tender Process

OPEN TENDER

RESTRICTED TENDER

There are two main tender (ITT) processes?

Assessing your organisation’s capability.

1. Organisational Details

2. Financial Information

3. References

4. Insurance

5. Legal Disputes

6. Environment

7. Equality

8. Health & Safety

9. Quality

10. Community Benefits

11. Project Specific Questions

Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)

What would you expect to

find in a County Council ITT document?

ITT Content1. Introduction2. Conditions of Tender3. Specification4. Questions5. Pricing Schedule/Table6. Various declarations to sign

Appendices (containing contract terms...)

E-TenderingThe Procurement team are encouraging the use of e-Procurement within the Council.

Benefits include:

• Ability to post OJEU notices• End to end Process• More transparency • More audit ability• Like for like evaluation• Centrally managed tool• Less admin, • Less resource time

https://lgss.bravosolution.co.uk

Bravo Solution

Providers can tender for current contract opportunities by visiting our e-Tendering system website (BravoSolution)

Example PQQ & ITT

Still with me?

EU Regulations

• Public sector organisations over £173,934 needs to be advertised in the OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union).

• Award notices need to be advertised on OJEU.

• EU adverts and award notices can be found on websites such as TED

• CCC will also advertise on Source Cambridgeshire.

• Strict timelines and structures will be applied to tender process.

What happens at EU level

Why have EU Rules?

• Public sector procurement spend is £221bn a year, about one third of total public sector expenditure.

• Need to ensure fair and open competition across Europe

• These are not Council Rules

• Breaking the law.• An awarded contract can be torn up regardless.• A court can impose a fine or damages.

What happens if the Council does not follow EU Regulations?

Things to keep in mind...

Tips for writing a winning bid• Make use of the timescales

• Know your limits and answer all question in complete honesty.

• Make sure that your answers are specific to the tender you are applying for.

• Do not assume or rely on the fact that the Council know you from previous work relationships.

• Social Value

• Explain your consortium clearly

Feedback• We will let you know if your tender was successful or not.

• We will ensure that for the contracts let in accordance with the EU Procurement Directives, the procedures in relation to the "10-day-standstill" period will be complied with. You are entitled to ask us for feedback during that period.

• We will provide frank and helpful information with regards to feedback on your bid. However, we do withhold information which is commercially sensitive or contrary to public interest. We will act in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.

• We cannot discuss other bidders’ submission.

If in doubt, contact us...

Quote:The contact of the RFQ

Tender:Tender queries: CCC (via Bravo messaging)System queries: Bravo Solution helpdesk

Do not wait until after your bid has been received by the Council!

Thanks for listening.

Any Questions?