Home | How we buy

The Council tenders for goods, works and services according to the table below or by buying directly from a framework.

Estimated Contract Value	Procedure to be followed
Under £5,000	A formal procurement process does not need to be followed, but the quotation should be in writing (email will be sufficient).
Between £5,000 and £15,000	Three written quotations are to be requested. Although a formal procurement process does not need to be followed, value for money still needs to be demonstrated. For example, to get written quotations (email will be sufficient).
Between £15,001 and £74,999	Three written quotations are required. Unless a recognised trade or professional contract is to be used like a JCT Contract, the Council's standard terms and conditions must be used. Consideration should also be given to using Liquidated Damages (a predetermined and realistic estimate of potential loss arising from default under a contract). If Liquidated Damages are not considered appropriate, the reason should be given on the contract file. When it is not possible to get three quotations, written advice from the Chief Financial Officer or Monitoring Officer should be obtained.
£75,000 up to UK/EU Procurement Threshold	Three Tenders are required. In addition to the above, the Finance Department should carry out a financial appraisal of all potential suppliers as part of the procurement process. Consideration should also be given if a performance bond is appropriate and if UK procurement directives apply. The Chief Financial Officer and Monitoring Officer must be actively involved in the project's procurement process if the estimated value is £100,000 or above. Refer to Contract Procedure Rules Clause 22 for performance bond or parent guarantee requirements.
Over UK/EU Procurement Threshold	An advertisement should be placed on the Government Find a Tender portal. Standard Selection Questionnaire (SSQ) should be considered in the circumstances. The Procurement Officer must be consulted.

* View the current EU Thresholds

Frameworks - The Council may choose to purchase directly from a framework such as those managed by ESPO and CCS. As these frameworks are fully compliant with EU legislation there is no need for the Council to carry out a separate tendering exercise. Interested suppliers should contact these organisations direct for information on how to become a supplier on a framework.

Procurement Policies and Strategy - The links to the documents below provide additional detail on the rules that govern how the Council's officers undertake procurement activity.

For financial procedures please see the full constitution, Chapter 9, Rules, Codes and Protocols Part 1 – Financial Regulations

For contract procedures please see the full constitution, Chapter 9, Rules, Codes and Protocols Part 2 – Contract Procedure Rules

The Council has a number of policies and procedures in place to ensure that both Council employees and contractors exhibit high standards of conduct when tendering and operating contracts.

These are set out within the following documents;

Anyone having concerns about staff conduct can report these in confidence to the Council's Monitoring Officer.

Contracting and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) - All public bodies have a duty under the FOIA to respond to requests for information. This may require disclosure of information that is part of a tender/contracting process. We are mindful of the potential commercial risks of our suppliers in the disclosure of information.