Our Policy
South Hams District Council seeks a diversity of supply solutions from all enterprise sectors. Our policy particularly encourages business engagement with under-represented commercial organisations.

It is recognised that the services, construction works and supplies provided by the Council have a significant impact on the quality of life for the community. It is vital that these services are delivered to a high standard. Procurement is the process of acquiring goods, works and services from suppliers on behalf of the Council and the local community.

Procurement activities identify the option that offers the best value for money for the Council. It also provides a structure for engaging with and managing suppliers who want to do business with the Council.

Achieving best value for money should be the basis of all procurement decisions within the Council.

Becoming a Contractor / Supplier - the Tender Process
In order to become a contractor to the Council you may be required to submit information on your company usually in the form of a pre-tender questionnaire or as part of an Invitation to Tender process. The type of information required may include all or some of the following:

• Basic company details;
• Financial information, including accounts;
• Details of insurance cover;
• Health and Safety practices;
• Business and management structure;
• Resources and staff training;
• Environmental issues;
• Equality policies;
• References

To register your business with the Council click on the following link: Devon Tenders and complete the registration process in the supplier area.

South Hams District Council is working in partnership with Teignbridge District Council and West Devon Borough Council as well as the Devon Procurement Partnership. Contract opportunities are being piloted using the Devon Tenders Portal:

Contract Opportunities

How we select organisations and invite them to tender
Tenders may be selected in a variety of different ways depending on the market relevant to the service, work or goods to be purchased and the value of the contract.

• A selection of potential tenderers may be approached to assess their interest in tendering for the service, work or goods prior to competition.
• Tenders may be advertised in national journals, or the local or national press.
• All tenders above the EU threshold are advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
• Occasionally the Council may advertise for an approved list of contractors / suppliers in a certain field of work. Contractors / suppliers must satisfy the selection criteria before being admitted onto the list.

Tender Process
There are a number of different tender processes, the most common are explained below:

1. OPEN process - All potential contractors / suppliers can bid for a contract.
2. RESTRICTED process - A two or three stage process allows only those potential contractors / suppliers who satisfy a number of criteria to be short-listed and allowed to bid.
3. NEGOTIATED process - Used for complex purchases. Careful consideration is given to the use of this process.

When tenders are invited, bids must be submitted by the time and date stated via the Devon Tenders portal or in sealed, unmarked envelopes if there isn’t web access (usually supplied with the Invitation to Tender documentation) to the address specified in the Invitation to Tender.

Received tenders are kept secure and unopened until the closing date, when they are verified either manually or electronically and formally recorded. Tenders received after the closing time will not be considered.

Opened tenders are passed to the relevant contract officer, or evaluation team, which may take a few days or several weeks depending on the complexity and number of bids. All tenderers are notified of the outcome in writing and the successful tenderer will be issued with a written award of contract notice.

Unsuccessful tenderers may request a debrief.

Contract Management
South Hams District Council believes that effective contract management is key to a successful relationship between the Council and you the supplier. Working together pro-actively will support the aim of improved performance through the life of the contract.

Once a contract has been awarded, the supplier must ensure that quality and performance stated in the tender documents are maintained (or improved) throughout the contract period.

The Officer of the Council responsible for the administration of the contract will be notified by users of any instances when the suppliers performance does not meet the required levels.  This will feed into the contract review process and appropriate action taken to remedy the situation.  Examples of poor administration of the contract, e.g. inability to invoice at the contract rates, inability to supply monitoring information when requested etc.

How we pay our contractors / suppliers
The contract management process will feed into the payment process.  The Council makes payment by Cheque, BACS or purchasing card. The use of BACS ensures that the payment goes directly into the contractors / suppliers bank account. BACS is the Council's preferred method and can be linked to a facility to receive remittance advices by email. Purchasing cards can be used if possible to speed up the payment process if this method is available.

Payment terms are normally set out in the contract documents.  They may be stage payments, annual / quarterly / monthly payments, payment on completion or payment per purchase order.

Payment is made within 30 days of receipt of a correct invoice, unless otherwise agreed. Payment within 3 to 5 days is possible; however, suppliers must have the ability to take VISA purchasing cards.

To ensure that your payment is dealt with efficiently and to avoid delays, please ensure that you:

• submit the invoice in the format agreed in the contract;
• quote the order number and / or contract title;
• address it to the correct officer and location;
• ensure that it is mathematically correctly;
• include as much information as possible about what the payment is for;
• only include requests for payment of supplied goods or services;