Tender Process

Before the Council enters into a contract with a supplier, a competitive process will be undertaken. This is likely to involve the Council requesting a supplier to submit a quotation or a tender for the contract.

There are a number of different tender processes as follows:

• OPEN process - All potential contractors / suppliers can bid for a contract.
• RESTRICTED process - A two or three stage process allows only those potential contractors / suppliers who satisfy a number of criteria to be short listed and allowed to bid.
• COMPETITIVE DIALOGUE - Suppliers are selected as per the restricted process above, a dialogue is then undertaken about the suppliers' proposed solutions to requirements before seeking tenders.
• NEGOTIATED process - Used for complex purchases. Careful consideration is given to the use of this process.

When tenders are invited, bids must be submitted by the time and date as specified within the tender documentation in sealed, unmarked envelopes (usually supplied with the Invitation to Tender documentation) to the address specified.

All tenders received are logged at Reception and kept secure and unopened until the closing date, whereupon they are opened in the presence of one officer and one Councillor and formally recorded. Late tenders are opened and recorded before being returned to the tenderer.

Opened tenders are passed to the contract officer for evaluation, which may take a few days or several weeks depending on the complexity of the contract. All tenderers are notified of the outcome in writing and the successful tenderer will be issued with a contract, unsuccessful tenderers can request a debriefing.

Effective contract management is key to a successful relationship and we expect you to manage your part of the business and work with us to improve the contract over its lifetime.