This information is to help you understand how we purchase Goods and Services and to assist you as a current or potential supplier.

St Leger Homes undertakes a wide verity of purchasing activities, from ad hoc materials & services through to formal tender exercises .

Many of our purchases are made against contracts set up in compliance with the European Union Procurement Directives. As a public sector organisation, St Leger Homes of Doncaster is subject to ‘The Public Contracts Regulations, as well as a series of EU directives and regulations.

Tenders which are over the EU threshold must be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU)

 

Our Aims

• To provide an excellent procurement service demonstrating best practice and professionalism.
• In meeting our business needs taking consideration of the best ethical, environmental and health and safety practices.

• To work within our own financial regulations and the legislative framework provided by the EU and UK Government.
• To ensure that there is diversity among suppliers utilising, voluntary and community sector, small and medium sized enterprises and ethnic minorities wherever practicable.
• To ensure risk is managed effectively in the procurement cycle.
• To establish mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships by encouraging trust and transparency with suppliers.

 

Procurement Process

All procurement is carried out in an open and transparent manner and suppliers can receive feedback on their performance on request.

Quotations and tenders are assessed using a range of evaluation criteria including; whole life costs, health & safety, quality, performance, environmental and ethical considerations. The importance of each criterion is weighted according to its relevance to the particular requirement. . This is often called seeking ‘the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT)’ and will give us Suppliers who are able to deliver value for money to our company.

We adopt a consistent approach with all our suppliers and potential suppliers. This is based on integrity and transparency which ensures fairness and non-discrimination in all our business dealings.

 

Tendering electronically

SLHD undertake tenders electronically, in addition to being advertised on the websites above, all opportunity notices are placed on our electronic tendering website http://scms.alito.co.uk/

All potential suppliers are encouraged to register on this site to view forthcoming and current opportunities; this website is also used by various local authorities and public sector organisations across Yorkshire and Humberside. 

Note; this website does not currently notify suppliers of opportunities. It is the responsibility of the supplier to access the site to identify opportunities.

Public procurement contracts for business worth more than the EU threshold must be published in the daily supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).  The thresholds are reviewed every two years and can be found at http://www.ogc.gov.uk

The electronic version of the Official Journal, Tenders Electronic Daily (TED), is accessible free of charge via the Internet at http://ted.eur-op.eu.int/

Further information on the EU Directives and public sector procurement in general can be obtained from the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) website http://www.ogc.gov.uk/

 

What are the benefits of electronic tendering?

The Supplier and Contract Management System (SCMS) (http://scms.alito.co.uk/) was selected because of its ease of use, the fact that it was free to use for suppliers (i.e. there are no annual subscription or document download costs incurred), and that users do not have to keep updating software. Another major consideration was that the system had been proven over a number of years.

All that is required to use the system as a supplier is an email address and internet access. Self-registration is simple and quick and access to the latest information is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In addition to providing improved communication with suppliers, SCMS also provides a high level of transparency and accountability, and makes information relating to St Leger Homes tendering activities and awarded contracts available via the website. The SCMS also provides us with improved procurement management information on our tendering activities and helps us to manage contract performance more effectively.

Through the increased use of an e-tendering system, it creates a reduction in advertising, paper and overhead costs for suppliers and buyers. It is also highly effective in allowing St Leger Homes to reach more potential suppliers.

E-tendering is beneficial in opening public sector tendering opportunities for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and provides a more secure environment than the traditional hard copy process. The awarded contracts function allows SMEs to identify potential business leads so they can deal directly with larger businesses.

 

What are the benefits of working with St Leger Homes?

There are a number of advantages you would receive by supplying St Leger Homes with a service you provide.  We are:

• Fair.
• Non-discriminatory.
• Professional.
• Prompt to pay.
• Community focused.
• Able to provide opportunities for innovation.  
• Prominent in the Local Community

 

How we Develop Contracts for Goods & Services

Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)

The PQQ stage of the process is to shortlist a suitable number of Potential Suppliers. We do this by asking various questions to enable us to get a good understanding of your Business. All your responses to the questions are assessed against pre-determined criteria, to ensure the most suitable suppliers are identified and taken forward to the next stage of the process, Tendering for our business.

 

There are a series of questions about the following:-

Company

You are asked basic information about where your company is based, legal status, parent company details (if applicable), numbers of directors and the number of staff you employ.  

 

Technical

You are asked to provide technical information in support of your application and list details of contracts carried out over the previous three years and provide the names and addresses of proposed referees. 

Note: If you have not been trading for 3 years we will still consider your application. 

If you are members of a registered trade association or any approved body you will be asked for details of your membership.

We will also require details of your quality systems.

 

Financial

A financial appraisal will be carried out and you may be asked to submit audited accounts.

Equalities

Everyone has a right to expect that the money spent on goods and services promotes and protects equalities in employment and does not lead to unfair discrimination.  All of our suppliers and contractors, must follow UK legislation and The Commission for Racial Equalities Codes of Practice for Employment. The application form includes an Equal Opportunities Declaration document which asks questions as set down by the Secretary of State.

 

Health and Safety

The application form asks for details of your health and safety policies and procedures together with any codes of safe working practices issued to employees. Responses are assessed by our specialist Health & Safety Team to ensure all suppliers meet the standards we require.

 

Sustainability

As a large purchaser of goods and services, St Leger Homes is reducing the environmental impact of its activities and developing awareness of environmental issues in all its services.  We need our suppliers to help us meet our objectives. Your Policies, which demonstrate your commitment to the environment should be submitted with your application for evaluation.  

We encourage prospective suppliers to:

·        Specify less environmentally damaging products.

·        Promote greater use of renewable resources.

·        Use environmentally friendly practices throughout the process.

 

Insurance

You must carry current employer's (if applicable) and public liability insurance.  For certain contracts you may have to increase the amount of public liability indemnity insurance you have, some contracts may also require professional indemnity.

 

Following the PQQ stage a shortlist of suppliers will be invited to tender.

 

Issues to consider when tendering

Potential bidders can increase their chances of being successful in their applications by considering the following:-

 

Do:

• Keep an eye on the afore mentioned websites, especially the Official Journal of the EU and http://scms.alito.co.uk/ for tender notices.
• Study all documents carefully to ensure you meet all the requirements.
• Ensure you supply all the information and details we ask for.
• Ensure your submission reaches us by the deadline, as we are unable to accept submissions that arrive late.
• Do not hesitate to contact the procurement team if you require any further information.  

There are many reasons why suppliers are unsuccessful in tendering we have listed below some of the more common reasons.

 

·        Fail to comply with closing dates and times for submissions.

·        Fail to comply with ‘Instructions to tenderers’.

·        Fail to complete the necessary documentation.

·        Fail to match specifications.

·        If you have a history of poor quality performance.

·        Fail to demonstrate the necessary financial stability.

·        Fail to demonstrate sufficient resources or capacity to carry out the service.

·        Fail to provide samples, when requested.

·        Fail to submit the most cost-effective, value for money offer/bid.

·        If you have insufficient experience in relation to the goods or services required.

 

If you are unsuccessful you may ask for feedback to help you understand why you have been unsuccessful.  Being unsuccessful in one contract does not mean that you will not be successful in the future.

 

What types of Contracts do we use?

There are four main types:

One-off Contracts -These are contracts to meet a specific need and will generally be short-term contracts to supply goods and services to meet an individual requirement.

Renewable or “Period” Contracts -These are contracts for services required on a regular basis and are generally let over a longer period of time (1 - 4 years) and will be monitored on a regular basis.

Framework Agreement - We place Framework Agreements with one or more suppliers where it is not possible to accurately define the full scope of the contract.

We then award Specific Contracts which are based on the Framework Agreement. This may require an additional element of competition between the Suppliers who are part of the Framework Agreement.

Partnership Arrangements - This is where the contracting authority seeks to develop a relationship with a supplier based on "partnership principles" (but not a formal partnership) with a supplier thereby sharing the costs and risks involved.  This approach has been used by St Leger Homes to deliver the Decent Homes Programme.

 

                 ‘Remember if in doubt ask!’