How to do business with the Council

• Introduction
• The Council's Procurement Strategy
• Order Terms and Conditions
• Council Tendering
• Contracts Register
• Advertising Tenders
• Awarding Tenders
• Tender Opportunities
• Payment Terms
• FAQ's
• How to contact The Council

Introduction
South Bucks District Council is one of the smallest District Council's in terms of its population of 67,500. 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 relates to externally provided waste services and revenues & benefits services.

On this page 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 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."

Order Terms & Conditions
SBDC insists on a number of terms and conditions when it places orders for goods and services.

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. 


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
£3,000-£10,000	A min. of 2 quotes will be invited
£10,000 - £60,000	A min. of 3 written quotes will be invited
£60,000+	Min. of  4 formal tenders will be invited	Goods & Services contracts over £153k and Works contracts over £3.8m will be advertised in OJEU

Contracts Register
South Bucks District Council maintains a joint 'Contracts Register' with Chiltern District Council which lists all current contracts.

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 OJEU, the Council will seek quotes or tenders by advertising in the press, approach known suppliers or searching 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- linksto an external site) 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(links to an external site).

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.

Tender Opportunities
Listed below are the active tender opportunities within South Bucks District Council and their current status.

Contract Description	Estimated Contract Value	Estimated Contract Start Date(s)	Contact Details
South Bucks District Council is inviting expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced main contractors with a proven track record in undertaking operational waste depot projects or similar for the replacement of Dropmore Road Depot, located at Dropmore Road, Burnham. SL1 8NF. The project includes demolition of current buildings, new drainage, concrete hard standing, new recycling storage buildings, weighbridge and small office / welfare building. The Council will potentially be operating its waste, recycling and street cleaning contracts form this location. It is anticipated that tenders will be invited in August 2012 and the contract will start in October 2012. Estimated project value range £700 - £900 k. Interested contractors should express their interest by applying to the web link below to download a Pre – Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), either in pdf or Word format, containing contractors financial standing, technical ability and performance record and written details/references. The PQQ should be received by the Council no later than by 12 noon on Friday 20th July 2012. 6 contractors that pass the PQQ stage will be asked to tender for the project that will be awarded on the basis of meeting the specification and lowest price. Dropmore Road Depot Project - Pre-qualification Questionnaire (pdf file) Dropmore Road Depot Project Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (Word document)	£700 - £900k	October 2012	South Bucks District Council, Capswood, Oxford Road, Denham. Bucks UB9 4LH.
The South Buckinghamshire golf club is about to undergo a major redevelopment in order to provide a brand new clubhouse which will incorporate facilities for both golfers and private functions for up to 100 guests. As such later in 2012 South Bucks is likely to be inviting expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced contractors with a proven track record in providing hospitality / catering to operate from the new clubhouse. Expression of Interest Advert	TBA	May 13	South Bucks District Council, Capswood, Oxford Road, Denham. Bucks UB9 4LH

Payment

Payment Terms
Payment is usually within 30 days of receipt of a correct invoice, unless otherwise stated.
Payment terms are normally set out within the contract documents. These may be on an annual, quarterly, monthly or on completion basis.

Address for Invoices
Invoices for SBDC should be sent by email to finance@southbucks.gov.uk

Payment Method
We normally only make payments once a week.
The preferred method of payment is by BACS. This ensures that funds go directly into your bank account, via the most cost effective method.

Payment Notification
We will send you a remittance advice for each payment. This will be sent out the day that we action the payment and will be sent by email.

Payment Queries / Complaints
If you have a payment query / complaint either contact your primary contact within the relevant SBDC department or the SBDC Finance Team Finance@southbucks.gov.uk
If this doesn't resolve the matter to your satisfaction there is a formal SBDC complaints procedurethat you can follow.

Prompt Payment Code
We have signed up to the Government's Prompt Payment Code which means that we will:

1) Pay suppliers on time

• within the terms agreed at the outset of the contract
• without attempting to change payment terms retrospectively 
• without changing practice on length of payment for smaller companies on unreasonable grounds

2) Give clear guidance to suppliers

• providing suppliers with clear and easily accessible guidance on payment procedures
• ensuring there is a system for dealing with complaints and disputes which is communicated to suppliers 
• advising them promptly if there is any reason why an invoice will not be paid to the agreed terms

3) Encourage good practice

• by requesting that lead suppliers encourage adoption of the code.

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.

Improvement and Efficiency South East
South Bucks District Council also works closely with Improvement and Efficiency South East (IESE). The IESE 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 IESE 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).