1.Low-level contracts

For a small council for instance, these might reach a maximum level of £3,000. These contracts are often not put out to European tender. They are not the main type of contract in the public sector, but they are available. We can provide a number of these as and when they are available. Often, using the Government Online Database is the best way to find out when such contracts are going to be advertised (assuming they are advertised.) Personal contact is one of the main ways of finding out when they are available. If it is a straightforward supply contract, three or four quotes may be taken from trusted companies, and a decision can quickly be made. Very often a purchase order is simply faxed over to complete the deal.

2.Medium-level contracts

From £3,000 up to about £90,000 (depending on the organisation). It will be up to the organisation to decide whether or not to advertise these types of contracts Europe-wide. Sometimes, even though not bound by law, decision-makers choose to go down the well-trodden tendering route of European tendering because it offers a structured method of ensuring the public sector gets value for money and all the quality standards of public sector purchasing bodies are observed. These contracts must be advertised but not necessarily across Europe. Often they are advertised in the locality, or wherever the organisation thinks it can get adequate suppliers from. These contracts are often more involved but not extraordinarily so. A typical £30,000 contract would require from a company:-

i.Information on length of time trading.
ii.Details of past 3 years' accounts (to ensure the company can actually fulfil the contract.)
iii.Recommendations from other satisfied public sector clients (not absolutely necessary, but useful in making a decision; a company without such experience may often be allowed to present references from a body similar to the public sector organisation it is hoping to supply.)
iv.Proof of quality assurance. ISO 9000 registered, ISO 14001 registered, etc. Every company must be able to give some sort of evidence to show it can offer quality products. ISO qualification is not the only means of demonstrating your company can provide a high standard product or service. This is sometimes a category that companies misconstrue when going for business. Emphasising the positive can be helpful; why would you buy from another company? How would you test the quality of what they offer? Don't undersell yourself.

Next: High Level Tenders