Process

Public procurement officers have strict parameters within which they MUST work. Most of these are determined by EU Rules and Directives. If the value of a contract is over a certain amount they must publish it in the official EU tenders journal.

It is VITAL to take time to discover the procurement processes of your prospects. They will expect you to do so!

You also need to stay abreast of changes both from the EU and UK Government initiatives. You can do this by going to the RESOURCES page and accessing the tutorials, downloads or weblinks.

You need to be aware what’s driving public procurement. Amongst many, there are three key issues.

ALL these issues affect the local authority bodies in the North East.

1. Value for Money – this is often not necessarily the cheapest but what is called MEAT, the Most Economically Attractive Tender
2. Gershon Review – this Efficiency Review by Sir Peter Gershon seeks to achieve 2.5% of public spending savings by 2007
3. National Procurement Strategy – it has milestones of achievement towards best in class procurement practices

This means that local authorities are seeking to work collaboratively, maximise their purchasing power and develop innovations in the effective and efficient delivery of their services. As a supplier you NEED to be fully aware and know their thinking and constraints if you are to have empathy with their requirements and processes.

These requirements GO BEYOND simply completing a tender. Sustainable procurement is an ever-increasing subject with you, as a supplier, having to be prepared to demonstrate your positive actions in such as areas as minimising environmental impact or your equal opportunities policy.

Too many suppliers fail to take these additional requirements seriously enough. That’s the route to failure! It is VITAL that you are fully resolved to provide all the detail needed. Start by asking the question “What do we know or need to know about their buying process?”

Click on the following PROCESS section pages for general information or go to the RESOURCES and tutorials page.