Introduction
South Bucks District Council is one of the smallest District Council's in terms of its population of 65,000. The District lies within the Metropolitan Greenbelt in Buckinghamshire adjoining London, and includes the towns of Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield. The Council employs some 140 staff and spends over £5m per year on goods, services and works, the majority of which related to externally provided waste services and revenues & benefits services.

On these pages you can find out more about how you can apply for contracts, the process the Council follows in awarding tenderers, and what contracts are currently being tendered. The intention is to give potential contractors and suppliers the opportunity to understand the Council's procurement process.

The Council's Procurement Strategy
The Council's procurement strategy sets a framework for procurement within the authority. The strategy will reflect the Council's aims and values and will provide a context for the procurement aspects of best value and the processes and procedures for procurement embodied in procedure rules and financial regulations.

In considering the Council's corporate aims the vision for procurement is defined "as to obtain best value through planned and appropriate procurement in respect of goods, works and services required by the Council for the delivery of its services."



No.	File name	File size	Estimated download time	File type

1	South Bucks District Council's Procurement Strategy 2008	405k	1.8 min	PDF

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Council Tendering
The Council has to follow certain rules and regulations that are set internally by the Council, and internationally by the European Union.

The Council's local rules are known as CONTRACT STANDING ORDERS
The international rules are known as EUROPEAN PROCUREMENT RULES

There are three main groups of contracts:

Works, such as construction contracts
Goods, such as stationery, IT equipment and consumables
Services, such as refuse collection, grounds maintenance and advertising

Each type of contract has different procurement rules depending on the value of the contract. The Council does expect suppliers to have proper regard to issues such as health & safety and equal opportunities. For information the Council’s Equalities Standard is provided



No.	File name	File size	Estimated download time	File type

1	Equal Opportunities - Common standards for suppliers to South Bucks DC	51k	60 secs	PDF

For information the Council’s list of current main contracts is provided.



No.	File name	File size	Estimated download time	File type

1	Contracts Register	202 k	1.1 min	PDF

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The regulations that apply are often linked to the value of the contract involved. The Council's Contract Standing Orders set out the threshold values for procuring goods, services and works:


Value of contract	No. of Quotes or Tenders required	Comments

Up to £10,000	A min. of 3 quotes will be invited	Quotes can be via email

£10,000 - £60,000	A min. of 3 written quotes will be invited

£60,000+	Min. of 6 formal tenders will be invited	Goods & Services contracts over £153k and Works contracts over £3.8m will be advertised in OJEU

Advertising Tenders
When the Council wants to invite formal tenders for works, goods or services it will place an advert in an appropriate professional journal, or in the local press, and depending on the value of the contract, in the OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union).

For smaller value contracts which are not required to be advertised through OJEC, the Council will seek quotes or tenders by advertising in the press, approach known suppliers or search Approved Supplier lists, such as Construction line or OGC Buying Solutions.

The Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU)
The OJEU website is where all procurement in the public sector, over a certain value, has to be advertised. Around 2,500 new notices are advertised every week, including Invitations to Tender, Pre-information Notices, Qualification systems and Contract Award Notices, from over 80 countries world-wide. Around 10% - 15% of these are from the UK and Northern Ireland.

To search for South Bucks District Council tenders through the OJEU you should access the TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) website where all OJEU notices are published. There is no charge or registration required for accessing the site and searching for details on tenders.

select the 'en' symbol to view the site in English;
select the 'Search for tenders' section;
put a check in the box on the top left hand side called 'Search in the Archive';
type 'South Bucks District Council ' into the box section marked 'Name Author' and then select 'search' in the bottom-right corner.

This will display a list of tenders which the Council has previously let or that are currently being let. If you follow the link on the individual entries it will display the notice details in full.

Constructionline
The Council uses Constructionline for the selection of tenderers for smaller works contracts. Constructionline is owned by the Department of Industry (DTI) and is a contributor to the Rethinking Construction initiative. It is the UK's largest register of pre-qualified construction contractors and consultants.
Constructionline saves time and money for suppliers as they only have to register once and then provide renewal information annually. Fees start from £70 a year and for Contractors are banded against turnover, and for Consultants against their number of Professional and Technical staff.
For further details on how to register with Constructionline log onto their website at www.constructionline.co.uk

Awarding Tenders
Contracts must be evaluated and awarded in accordance with the Award Criteria detailed within the tender document. This usually includes a combination of price, quality and service. The council will look at each offer with a view to finding the 'most economically advantageous' offer.

The Council has a preference to procuring, where appropriate, through framework agreements (e.g. SCAT, OGC), or as part of joint contracts with other authorities.
If you are not awarded the contract you will be notified in writing that you have been unsuccessful. Feedback can be given if requested on reasons why a tender was unsuccessful.

Payment
Payment terms are normally set out within the contract documents. These may be on an annual, quarterly, monthly or on completion basis. Payment is usually within 30 days of receipt of a correct invoice, unless otherwise stated. The Council wishes to increase the percentage of invoices received electronically and suppliers/contractors are encouraged to invoice in this manner.
The Council's method of payment is by BACS. This ensures that funds go directly into your bank account, via the most cost effective method.

Working In Collaboration
The Council is committed to working in collaboration with other local authorities and the wider Public Sector in order to maximise the value we get from our contracts. As such South Bucks District Council is an active member of the Bucks Procurement Group, which includes Buckinghamshire County Council and the other district councils within Buckinghamshire; Aylesbury Vale District Council, Chiltern District Council and Wycombe District Council. The group are working towards further local authority collaboration within Buckinghamshire.

For further details on contract opportunities with the other authorities in Buckinghamshire you can view their Business pages on the following links:

South East Centre of Excellence
South Bucks District Council also works closely with the South East Centre of Excellence (SECE). The SECE aim is to develop opportunities of shared working between local authorities, other public sector bodies involving, where appropriate the private and voluntary sectors. For further information on the work of the SECE you can view their website on:

www.kent.gov.uk/sece

FAQs

How can we apply to the Council's Select List of Approved Suppliers?

The Council does not have a central Approved List of Suppliers. When the Council wants to invite formal tenders for works, goods or services it will place an advert in an appropriate professional journal, or in the local press, and depending on the value of the contract, in the OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union). For smaller value contracts which are not required to be advertised through OJEC, the Council will seek quotes or tenders by advertising in the press, approach known suppliers or search Approved Supplier lists, such as Constructionline or OGC Buying Solutions.

Who do I speak to about the supply of ….. to the Council?

General enquiries should be sent to the Council's general email address, sbdc@southbucks.gov.uk., but note should be taken of the information in this section about how the Council advertises its requirements.

Where does the Council advertise its tenders?

When the Council wants to invite formal tenders for works, goods or services it will place an advert in an appropriate professional journal, or in the local press, and depending on the value of the contract, in the OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union).

How to Contact the Council

In Person: South Bucks District Council ,Capswood Oxford Road, Denham. Bucks UB9 4LH
By telephone: Customer Services number is 01895 837200
Email us: sbdc@southbucks.gov.uk