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.