How to complete the tender documents
Introduction.
North East Lincolnshire Council wants to ensure that all businesses have an
equal and fair chance of being able to engage with us and to put in a bid to
win contracts to provide/deliver council services.
Some small or medium businesses perhaps want to bid for our tenders but
may feel that you are excluded from this. There may be a number of reasons
for this but it could be you think there is too much work involved or even that
you do not stand any chance of being chosen. In a world of increasing
competitiveness and reducing budgets we feel it is worthwhile for all
businesses to consider how you can tender with us in the North East
Lincolnshire area.
This document is intended as a guide for you to give advice on issues that
you should consider when completing tender documentation. It is not intended
as a definitive tool and you should not see it as a ‘one size fits all’. For those
of you that have not tendered before, and even those that have, this
document is designed to give you some useful tips.
It is important to bear in mind that all tender opportunities are different and as
such need to be treated completely separately. However, it is possible for you
to have a good idea about what to put in to the documents in order to ensure
you have produced the best possible tender and given yourself the best
chance of being considered for the being awarded the contract.
It is also worth having a look at the glossary of terms, frequently asked
questions and jargon buster to help give you some pointers on completing the
documents
What is procurement?
Procurement is just a fancy name that we use for ‘purchasing’ or ‘buying’ of
services and products. It covers a whole range of things. However, the
following points are relevant to the process that we have to undertake.
The council has to be:
Fair,
honest,
professional and
transparent.
We have to ensure:
We operate a competitive process.
We are able to promote fair and open competition.
We get the best value for taxpayers money.
We follow the correct legal paths and so;
We are not open to legal challenge.
This is because dealing with complaints and challenges takes:
Resources
Time
Money and
Could damage our reputation.
Although we always deal with any complaints and challenges that we receive
this is something that can be avoided if we get things right in the first place.
We can’t
Let contracts just because we like a company or we have used them
before or
Let certain contracts on lowest price quoted alone.
Why?
Procurement law and EU law regulate the purchasing by us in the
public sector
This is to protect not only us, but also the businesses that put in a bid.
Everyone is given the same opportunity to bid and
Everyone is given the same opportunity to actually win the contract.
It is important to remember that we are not trying to be difficult or over careful
in the way we ask businesses to tender with us. We want everyone to have
the same chance and we welcome all bids. However, it may help your
chances if you understand the process itself.
What is a tender?
A tender itself can be compared to a CV where you clearly set out, with
evidence, why you should be awarded the contract. It is an opportunity to be
innovative and promote why you are different from other organisations. It is
important to include your experience but if you do not have the actual
experience you can still demonstrate what you would do to run the contract
and why you should be awarded the contract.
Procurement process
Steps of bidding process within the public sector
1. Defining the procurement strategy – We have to have a procurement
strategy so we can plan for a number of years in advance and we know
where we can spend and save money.
We define our outcomes and what it is we want to achieve
We decide on our way forward and what we need to do in order
to achieve the outcomes.
We can then decide what contracts need to be put out to tender
and the process that needs to be followed. This usually depends
on the value and has to follow EU and procurement law.
2. Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)
This is not always used but it is a useful tool for the us as it,
Enables us to filter businesses
Allows us to decide if your business is suitable to successfully
deliver a specific contract and
Saves you and us time and effort in the tendering process
We do this by
asking you to provide us with some information about your
business.
o This may include information about
your financial
position, previous experience and references.
We then look at this information and use it to decide your
eligibility for delivering that contract.
o
If we feel you are able to deliver the service then you will
go on to the next stage of the process.
3. Inviting tenders
An Invitation to Tender (ITT) will be advertised via the
https://www.yortender.co.uk/procontract/user.nsf
This is a formal document that sets out in detail what the work
involves and costs and businesses are invited to submit a
formal tender for the contract.
The ITT allows you to say exactly how you will deliver the work
and how much it will cost. This where you will need to explain
any innovation you can bring.
It will also set out criteria for how we will evaluate the tenders
and give weightings for the criteria.
Procurement procedure may be:
Open procedure –any interested suppliers can complete the ITT
documents and return by a set date and time
Restricted procedure – you may be sent the PQQ or be pre
selected from a short list. You are then asked to submit a tender
by completing the ITT documents.
o The invitation does not mean you will automatically
be awarded the contract.
4. Evaluating the tenders
There are two processes we can use to evaluate tenders and it will
explain in the ITT documents which process will be used in the tender
that you are bidding for.
a) Lowest compliant: This is where bid(s) are
o within budget
o comply with the technical details and
o proves you are able to deliver the contract
requirements.
b) Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT): this is where
bids are assessed
o Against *evaluation criteria that reflect:
o Qualitative evidence
o Technical
know
how,
innovation
and
experience
o Sustainability
o The price at which you can deliver the service
requirements
*evaluation criteria will be included in the ITT documents and this
will clearly state the weightings and methodology that we use when
we evaluate the tenders.
5. Awarding the contract
Once we have evaluated all the tenders we then inform all the
tenderers via YORtender of the outcome of the process. This means
that the one that has been awarded the contract as well as those that
have been unsuccessful.
If the total value of the contract is over the *EU threshold then there will
be a compulsory standstill period where bidders can ask for feedback
on the award notice and if they wish to, challenge the way the tenders
were evaluated. Once the standstill period has elapsed the contract will
be awarded.
*EU threshold apply where the whole life cost of the contract is over a certain
amount.
The amounts are:
For supplies and services £173,934
For works £4,348,350
YORtender – This is the web portal which we use to advertise and manage
quotations and tenders. If you want to look at what tendering opportunities we
currently have you will need to register with YORtender and then you will have
access to this information. Registering is easy and the address you need is:
https://www.yortender.co.uk/procontract/user.nsf
What to consider when compiling your tender
There are a number of issues and factors that you need to consider before
you begin completing the tender submission.
a. Can you deliver the requirements of the contract for the entire life of the
contract?
This is critical as if there are any doubts you many need to
reconsider submitting a tender. (Declining an offer to tender
does not influence any future submissions).
What are you being asked to provide, what is required in the
service specification and what is required to achieve a high
score? Take time to consider these points before completing the
tender documents
b. What is there about your company that makes it stand out from the
rest? Can you offer something innovative or specialist as part of the
service?
Do you have an area of added value? Our contracts are not
necessarily awarded on price alone, but also consider quality
and whole life costs.
Remember, yours may be just one of a large number of
responses so anything that makes it stand out will help.
c. Consider your audience. Make sure the language used is aimed at the
audience for the evaluation as this may include various professionals
and service users
Consider using graphics, pictorial information etc. as the panel
may include young people, adults with mental health issues etc.
Be careful about using abbreviations as the panel may not
understand these or may misinterpret them.
It is also helpful to be aware of the following:
d. Freedom of Information Act 2000
This Act provides a general right of access to information held
by public authorities.
Unless covered by one of the exemptions, the council is obliged
to provide information held to other individuals or suppliers
(including information provided by tenderers) within 20 days of
receiving the request.
What is a poor tender.
A poor tender could simply be a case of bad practice, or as a result of not
having the right guidance when preparing the tender submission. Make sure
you read and understand all the instructions first. If you are at all unsure just
ask.
A tender submission which contains the following usually suggests a poor
tender :
Omissions and errors
Poor legibility
Poor structure
Poorly presented
Inconsistent information
Not well thought out
Documents that are not referenced in the submission
Very generic (not tailored to suit the requirements of the contract)
Lack of evidence.
Lack of any real detail and effort.
Over use of copy and paste
Answer refers to ‘parent’ company and not the actual applicant
Lacking any added value
Not completed in line with the instructions.
Name of the wrong council or reference to a different area left in from
when the information was used on a previous tender.
This is by no means the full list.
What is a good tender
A good tender does not mean that it will be a winning tender, but it will stand a
good chance of becoming one.
A typical good tender is:
Free from significant errors and/or omissions
Tailored to the exact requirements of the contract
Detailed with supporting evidence and additional documentation clearly
referenced.
States what benefit they can bring to the council
Demonstrates commitment to the council
Shows you have put theory into practice
Clearly written and legible
Clearly committed to continuous improvement and best practice
Inclusive of added value to the contract (where applicable)
Compiled in line with instructions.
Generally
o Remember first impressions count so make sure your tender is making
the right impression. Whoever is evaluating the tender may have seen
numerous tenders before and will be well used to knowing what they
are looking for. Make it count.
o Typically the content of your submission bid will show that you have
understood the tender requirements.
o Remember: never be afraid to ask for clarification through
https://www.yortender.co.uk/procontract/user.nsf if you are at all
unsure.
o Do not make the submission too technical, those reading the bid
may not understand what you are talking about and you need to
concentrate on what makes you different. Most of the other bidders will
have the same or similar technical knowledge as you.
o Beware that what you copy and paste is relevant to each section and
make sure you change any details necessary. It does not look good if
you leave in a reference to a previous tender that you completed using
the same or similar information. Do not over rely on the same answer
to every question.
o Make sure you research the area and the public sector that you are
bidding for, if this is outside your normal area, and relate your answers
to these.
Remember: evaluating the tender submission is done purely on what
you write in the tender documents, the reader cannot make
assumptions, even if they know your company well.
Other useful points to bear in mind
The following points can be used as a pointers for ensuring your submission
is the best it can be. However, this is a generic list and any more specialist or
complex tenders will almost certainly require a far greater list for checking.
Always read the document thoroughly and carefully before you begin to
answer any questions. Note points about the completion of the
documents, any font size required, deadline dates, etc.
Make sure you have considered or discussed with team members how
the contract can be delivered for the whole life and make sure all
documents/evidence are provided and referenced within the tender
submission are in the appendix.
Have all the information to hand as you complete the documents as
you may forget to go back to complete a section.
Always allow sufficient time to complete the documents
Have someone read the entire document to double check the content
and spelling. Then have someone outside the team read the entire
document to check for any areas of confusion or clarity.
Never make false representation when completing the tender
document as you will be asked for evidence of what you have
submitted.
Make sure the document is signed in accordance with the instructions.
Never submit the tender documents late as they will be disqualified.
Keep a duplicate of the document for your own records.
If you have any questions or are unsure of anything always ask.
Good luck.