Suffolk County Council is committed to giving all suppliers
every opportunity to compete for our contracts on a level playing
field and where possible taking full advantage of the skills and
enterprise available locally.
In the past we have presented to many organisation such as the
Ipswich and Suffolk Small Business Association and the Suffolk
Ethnic Minority Business Forum and we welcome the
opportunity to talk to any business groups about opportunities to
work with us.
We recognise that a diverse range of suppliers have much to offer
by bringing increased competition for goods and services. SMEs and
these other types of supplier often have a lower cost base, provide
innovative ‘niche’ market goods and services, be more responsive
and can offer a better quality of service. We also understand that
there are a many barriers, both real and perceived, faced by these
suppliers wishing to do business with the council.
We actively encourage all suppliers to tender for our requirements
and strive to ensure that our procurement processes do not
unreasonably prevent any type or size of supplier from bidding for
our contracts. We award contracts on the basis of the best value to
the authority, taking into account a range of supply factors. At
Suffolk County Council we are also committed to encouraging local
organisations to supply us with goods and services.
Barriers to entry
We have identified the following as being potential barriers to
market entry for SMEs:
- Difficulty in identifying opportunities. It is not always easy
to know where to look for tendering opportunities. Adverts placed
in the Official Journals of the European Communities (OJEU), are
not always easy to understand because of the terminology used.
- Size and type of contract. Larger requirements may be
off-putting for SMEs. Increasing the use of framework agreements
can make access to council contracts difficult.
- An overly complicated tender process can be a problem for any
potential bidder, in particular SMEs. Increased complexity leads to
higher bidding costs which can make tendering too expensive for
SMEs.
Positive action – our response
As a council, we have signed the Government's Small Business
Friendly Concordat and the Suffolk Compact’s Voluntary and
Community Sector’s Funding and Procurement Code of Practice. We
have also adopted the guidance outlined in the joint Office of
Government Commerce (OGC) /Small Business Service (SBS) booklet
‘Smaller supplier…. Better value?' and the OGC / Home Office
booklet ‘Think Smart Think Voluntary Sector’. In particular we:
- consider the needs of SMEs when developing our procurement
strategy. For example, by considering what added value SMEs can
bring to the supply chain, the size and complexity of contracts and
the possibility of allowing sub-contracting;
- ensure each tender is based on a clearly defined business need
and that the complexity of the process, pre-qualification,
evaluation criteria and timetable are appropriate;
- publish with each tender, the evaluation criteria and process
to be used;
- make available through the our website, a corporate register of
all on-going contracts with contact details and a ‘Plain English'
guide to procurement and tendering processes;
- have changed our business questionnaire to make applications
quicker and easier;
- ensure that when a contract is advertised, it appears on our
website as well as the national opportunities portal,
www.supply2.gov.uk or the
Official Journal of the European Union (depending on the size of
the contract);
- take every opportunity to meet and talk with SMEs about future
tenders and bidding processes (for example at meet the buyer and
supplier forum events);
- develop wider use of electronic tendering and e-procurement
across the council;
- ensure that all bidders are made aware of the opportunities for
formal feedback on their tender submission after contract
award.
Further support
Voluntary and community organisations can find further
information and guidance on the council’s funding opportunities
through the Suffolk Single Gateway.