Procurement process guide

How the council procures

We have a small procurement team that sets the procurement strategy, policy and processes for the whole council. This team undertakes larger procurements while officers in the relevant service undertake smaller ones.

We do not have any approved supplier lists, except for the area of design and print, which is declining as we are needing to seek cheaper channels such as email, text and website. As councils are forced to make more efficient use of declining budgets, we are increasingly working in partnership with other councils in Oxfordshire in an attempt to achieve economies of scale through joint contracts.

The procurement process

The council has an obligation to spend public money wisely and efficiently and achieve good value for money. According to our contract procedure rules:

• for contracts of a relatively low value (up to £10,000) we will seek one written quotation from potential suppliers
• for contracts valued at £10,000 to £75,000, we will seek at least three written quotes from potential suppliers
• for higher value contracts above £75,000, we will issue tender documents and follow our tendering process
• for contracts over the current EU threshold, we will follow EU tendering procedures.

Tender evaluation policy

We have a tender evaluation policy in place that sets out and defines our process for evaluating tenders, the full document is available to download from the right.

As well as being a policy for evaluating tenders, the document brings together best practice in procurement and clarifies the process to be followed by council officers.

In summary, the policy ensures that:

• we procure supplies, services and works that meet the defined and agreed essential needs of the council as specified in the invitation to tender/invitation to quote ( ITT/ITQ)
• in all cases, a specification is produced and agreed prior to the ITT/ITQ being issued
• the selection criteria are clearly defined within the ITT/ITQ with cost being at least 60 per cent (preferably higher) of the criteria for selection in all cases
• the tender is selected which offers the best value for money to the council over the whole life of the projects
• the tendering process, selection of bidders and the award of contracts are fair, open and objective
• all tenders are evaluated to a consistently high standard
• we comply with our contract procedure rules, procurement best practice policies and guidance, regulations and EU procurement legislation and rules

Purchase order terms and conditions

Please click on the link on the right to see the council's purchase order terms and conditions.

Conditions of contract

The council has a set of Standard Conditions of Contract that are used for goods. It is our policy to contract under our own terms and conditions of contract.

When you are invited to submit a quote or tender, you will be issued with a set of the terms and conditions of any contract that may be awarded. In addition to the Standard Terms and Conditions, all contract letters or purchase orders will contain details of the particular goods or services concerned such as details of price, delivery etc. You should not write on or alter in any way these conditions when you reply. If you do so you risk having your bid rejected. You must keep to the deadline given in the invitation letter for receipt of bids, otherwise your bid will be rejected. In addition to the Standard set of conditions the council will provide bespoke terms and conditions for particular circumstances.