Doing business with the council
Dartford Borough Council is updating procurement practices. In support of this we have introduced these interactive pages to inform potential suppliers about our procedures and our expectations. Please click on the following links to find out more.
- The Procurement Process
- Quotations
- Formal Tenders
- Goods and Services that the Council procures
- Methods of Payment to Suppliers
- e-Procurement
- Local Business
- Dartford Borough Council Procurement Strategy (Opens PDF December 2004, 96 KB)
The Procurement Process
We will select our suppliers and contractors using the following criteria:
- securing value for money through competition;
probity and the proper spending of public monies - fair competition
- lowest price for best value or most economically advantageous tender
- where practical, takes account of effect on local economy
The Procurement Process used will depend on the estimated value of the contract and the type of product or service that is required. Details of the various options are detailed below. However, it should be noted that the financial limits set are a guide and it may be that in some circumstances, a different approach may need to be taken to that listed here.
Quotations
If the estimated value of the contract is more than £2,500 but less than £50,000, the Council will generally invite quotations from at least three suitable suppliers.
Where the product required can be specified easily, the works will be placed with the company that submits the lowest quotation, provided they can meet any required timescale. The Officer procuring the goods or services will be responsible for determining the suitability of prospective suppliers.
If the estimated value of the goods or services is less than £2,500 then the officer responsible for procuring them will decide how many quotations to obtain.
Formal Tenders
If the estimated value of the contract is more than £50,000, then formal tenders will be required. In general at least four suitable companies will be invited to tender.
The Council uses various types of tender:
- Open
- Restricted
- Negotiated
- Prescribed list (including generic framework and commercial select lists)
- Framework agreements
Open Tendering occurs when tenders are to be obtained by open competition in response to a public advert. No steps are taken to restrict the number of tenders received or to assess the suitability of interested parties prior to a submission being made.
Restricted Tendering occurs when tenders are obtained by open competition but it is considered appropriate to examine suitability at the first stage before interested parties are invited to tender.
Negotiated Tendering occurs in limited circumstances when it is in the Council's best interest not to seek competitive quotations or tenders.
This could be for example in an emergency; the specialist nature of the contract; or where the type of work means that the scope for competition is very limited.
Prescribed List Tendering is the process whereby Departments of the Council maintain a list of firms who are considered by the Council to be technically competent to undertake the works and who have been financially vetted.
The list is used as an aid to the selection of tenderers for works, supplies and services. Applications for inclusion on any list should be submitted to the person named below.
Catalogue based procurement schemes such as GCat/S-CAT and other recognised data bases such as Constructionline, are also used by the Council.
The officer responsible for the procurement will decide which of the various tendering methods to adopt.
Goods and Services that the Council procures
The Council procures a wide range of goods and services. The following are the main categories and if you wish to be considered for any future works please e-mail the details of the services you offer to the contact name and address.
- Building improvements paul.koster@dartford.gov.uk
- Building maintenance Lehanne.Sergison@dartford.gov.uk
- Grounds Maintenance or Playground Equipment Eric.Davis@dartford.gov.uk
- Refuse & recycling collection or Street Cleansing Dave.Thomas@dartford.gov.uk
- IT Richard.James@dartford.gov.uk
- Publicity, advertising and marketing Tom.Carney@dartford.gov.uk
- Office supplies, equipment and consumables, including IT consumables Pat.Bartrip@dartford.gov.uk
- Other Catherine.Bailey@dartford.gov.uk, who will pass on details to the relevant person.
You may also want to review the local press, trade journals and European Journal for opportunities and respond accordingly.
Methods of Payment to Suppliers
The Council pays all suppliers by BACS transfer and does not pay by cheque. Payment will be made within 30 days of receipt of invoice. Before undertaking any work for the Council you will need to supply details of the bank account into which funds will be transferred.
E-Procurement
The Council is committed to streamlining processes and to enable the whole procurement process, from submission of quotation to payment of invoice, to be completed electronically. This will reduce time and cost for both prospective suppliers and the Council.
During this year, the Council expects to set up a dedicated e-mail address for the submission of most quotations, and also encourage submission of invoices from suppliers electronically.
Local Business
The Council is aware of the contribution made by local business to the community and is examining ways to ensure local business can bid for council work where appropriate.
