Tender & Procurement

Tendering must be used for all purchases where there is a possibility that the overall contract may exceed £25,000. We sometimes might decide to tender for service contracts lower than £25,000.

All invitations to tender will be listed here, on our website and on the government ‘contract finder’ web page. 

Any invitation to tender must be addressed to the Chief Executive in a sealed envelope. The tender is to remain sealed until the prescribed date for opening tenders for that contract. In the future the Council may wish to consider a secure methodology for the electronic submission of tenders. Financial Cost Summary, The Financial Cost Summary is the pricing schedule that tenderers must complete. Its purpose is to ensure that all tenderers submit prices on a common basis and in a common format, making evaluation more straightforward – e.g. fixed price or time basis, one-off or multiples, annual cost or full contract cost. Tendering Period During the period between invitation to tender and receipt of tenders, it is vital that all tenderers are treated equally e.g. an extension request or any queries of substance raised by one tenderer must be applied to all tenderers simultaneously.

They are evaluated to ensure the best value for money and that the tender matches the specification and any other selection criteria. In many 8 contracts, whilst all tenderers may be capable of meeting the requirement, some may be better in terms of cost, quality, availability of resources, quality of staff, proposed timescales, and environmental factors. Tenders that do not meet the specification should be rejected. Post Tender Evaluation Once the tenders or quotes have been evaluated, it may be possible to improve the overall value for money of bids through negotiation. Post-tender negotiation may involve more than one supplier. Potential areas of improvement may involve areas other than cost e.g. improved delivery times. When choosing which tender to award a contract to, it is important to consider the cost over the lifetime of the asset, any additional costs, and any resale value. If during such negotiations the requirement is vastly changed, the Town Council should consider re-tendering and this procurement policy supports the delivery of the Council’s strategic objectives in the efficient, effective, economic, and sustainable delivery of services, ensuring that suppliers and contractors provide the best value products, services, and performance.

The Council is committed to providing quality services. It will use fair and open competition as a means of securing efficient and effective services. How we choose our suppliers – Based on our values and objectives to protect and enhance a sustainable future, promote transparency, and develop a more prosperous and sustainable local economy. We also make sure that the legal requirements and responsibilities involved are followed.