IntroductionThe aim of this guide is to help you get to grips with the tendering and

procurement processes; including what you need to consider and how

to complete tender documents. From our knowledge we share what to

include, what to avoid, how to prepare professional tenders and

increase your chances of success.

Bidding can be a lengthy process and each tender submission different,

meaning there are no templates where 'one fits al l ' and as anything in

business, it is going to take commitment and time. That being said the

rewards of winning these contracts wil l greatly improve the growth and

success of your business.

Government ReformsAs part of the governments 'Business is Great' and the mission to make

it easier for small , ambitious businesses to expand and grow, central

government has opened up public procurement.

For years, small firms have found it difficult to do business with the

public sector because they have been pushed out by larger companies

or deterred by the excessive burdens imposed throughout the

procurement process.

Central government have made improvements to be rol led out across

the public sector, particularly in areas such as procurement by hospitals

and local government services where small businesses have a lot to

offer.

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The Government has accepted Lord Young's proposed procurement

reforms, which wil l provide simpler and more direct access for small

businesses to the £230bn of annual public sector spending in England.

The legislation wil l be used in 201 4 to:

· Cut down on process by abolishing Pre-Qualification

Questionnaires (PQQ) for low- value contracts.

· Mandate the use of a standard core PQQ for high value contracts

and ensure small business needs are taken into account in the

design of procurement processes.

· Make contract opportunities easier to find by making them all

accessible on a single onl ine portal.

· Make sure small firms get treated fairly by mandating prompt

payment terms all the way down a public procurement supply

chain.

To ensure that small businesses see the benefit of these reforms, the

Government :

· Wil l require al l publ ic bodies to report their procurement spend

and prompt payment performance with small businesses.

· Wil l prototype a new rating service for small firms to judge public

bodies on their procurement credentials and for public bodies to

rate their suppliers so that small businesses who win contracts

can start to build up their reputations - with a view to rol l ing the

system out more widely during 201 4.

· Launched a new trial service - Solutions Exchange- to help public

sector organisations to go to the market to ask for ideas and

solutions to problems before a formal procurement. The service

also provides opportunities for SMEs to pitch innovative

proposals to government.

Visit http: //solutions-exchange.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ and

scrol l down to 'Supplier' to find out more and register.

This is a trial service, sign up and provide the government with

the feedback needed to give you with the right service for your

needs.

· Extend the reach of the Mystery Shopper, so that it not only

investigates reports of unfair treatment, but also spot checks

public bodies to make sure that their procurement is small

business friendly. The results of Mystery Shopper investigations

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wil l be made more visible so that poor practice by public bodies

and their contractors can be challenged.

Go to: https://www.gov.uk/doing-business-with-government-a-guide-for-

smes#mystery-shopper-scheme for more information on the mystery

shopper scheme.

The government has produced some great guides on tendering for

public sector contracts including https://www.gov.uk/doing-business-

with-government-a-guide-for-smes with l inks to quick guides and video

clips from SMEs, their tips and how they have benefitted.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence

v2.0.

3

4

Your tender or bid is a written presentation detai l ing how you can

meet a purchasing company's needs within a budget. I t has often

been referred to as “your company c.v.” or the 'si lent sales person'.

In the 'usual ' way of gaining contracts, we wil l often visit the premises,

l isten to our potential cl ients needs and tel l them how we can meet

them, how we differ from our competitors and provide them with a

quote, obviously there is more to it than this but that is a whole new

guide. Tendering is pretty much the same, only written and in a format

similar to your business plan or c.v. The advantage of tendering, aside

from the value of contracts, is that rather than having to answer all the

cl ients questions on the spot, you now have time to think about your

answers, no more 'I should have said. . . . . ' post walk through.

The Tender ProcessOnce you have found a contract you would l ike to tender for you would

general ly be sent a Pre-qualification Questionaire, however with the

new initiative being brought in to abolish PQQs for smaller contracts

and if you are new to tendering it is recommended that you start your

tender bidding with these smaller contracts to gain experience and

help build up your reputation. Just to note, 'smaller contracts' are

those worth under £1 00,000 However it is worth being aware of and

what a pre-qualification questionnaire or PQQ is as there wil l sti l l be

some organisations who wil l require you to complete one and at some

point you wil l be in a position to tender for the larger contracts. The

purpose of a PQQ is simple, it's a process to fi lter out those

organisations considered a lower level of risk than others due to

financial position or from processes that match the organisation

requirements.

The Pre-Qualification Questionnaire is sent to you when you express

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an interest in a contract and wil l ask for information regarding your

previous experience, financial position and references. You wil l have to

provide all the information requested to move forward to the next

stage. When providing detai ls of your previous experiences, be sure

they are relevant to the contract. The financial information requested

wil l be to ensure that if you were awarded the contract, you have the

resources to carry it out. I f you can provide references from a company

in a similar industry that would be a bonus, but don't worry if not, as

long as they are professional, good and fit any criteria al l wil l be well .

A sample copy of a PQQ can be found under the Resources chapter of

this guide.

Once you have completed your PQQ and if it is successful, you wil l

then receive an 'invitation to tender'. Within the invitation to tender you

are l ikely to find further instructions, a deadline date and a letter

requesting you to confirm whether or not you wil l be bidding for the

contract . I f you are provided with a self-addressed envelope or

address label,

envelope. You must use this when sending in your bid. You wil l also be

provided with detai ls of what the organisation wants, which sets out

what you need to provide and a draft copy of the contract terms and

conditions.

Final ly, a l ist of criteria explaining how your bid wil l be assessed, this is

usually cal led the 'evaluation criteria' and is an important piece of

information to help you understand how you can meet the

organisations needs, what is of highest importance to them and their

ideals upon quality and cost.

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7

PreparationIn order to save time before finding a contract prepare and keep

updated a fi le containing the fol lowing general documentation asked for,

this includes:

Company information, such as Contact detai ls, certificate of

incorporation, registered address, VAT number etc

Financial information, such as last three years auditable accounts if

applicable, profit and loss, management accounts

Technical information, such as insurance certificates, accreditations

and references.

Policies including health and safety, Environmental management,

training and recruitment, business continuity and equal opportunity.

This l ist isn't exhaustive and once you get started you wil l get an idea of

the documentation regularly asked for in your field, but preparing in this

way can save some considerable time and stress from chasing these

documents when you have a deadline to meet. Always check the

information requested and only send what is asked for.

PlanningBefore writing out your tender, it is always a good idea to famil iarise

yourself with al l the documentation and information you have been

given. You wil l need to make sure you can deliver the level of service

the organisation is asking for , within the set timeframes, for the length

of the contract and that you have all the resources you require. The

factors you need to take into account wil l largely depend upon your own

organisation, as well as the information you have been provided with.

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Look at the timescales given and draw up your plan around this.

Your plan should contain:

What information is being asked for?

When can you obtain al l the information?

What needs to go into your bid? Highl ight or make notes on the needs

set out by the organisation, how can you resolve them (spider charts

are a great tool for this).

What relevant detai ls can make your organisation stand out from the

rest? What is your unique sell ing point?

How long wil l you need to write up, check and edit your bid?

Is there anyone else who could help you ?

Is the organisation holding any meetings or information days you

should attend. These are great opportunities to receive clarification on

what is required and to check out the competition.

When planning and preparing your bid there are minimum standards

an organisation wil l expect you to meet, if you fail to meet these

standards then the l ikelyhood is that your bid wil l not even be read, let

alone considered. As harsh as this may sound, these purchasing

organisations may have hundreds of tenders to read throughout the

year. The minimum standards tend to be:

You understand and have responded to all the organisation's

requirements.

Your tender is tai lored to the exact requirements of the organisation,

explaining how the work wil l be carried out and how you wil l assist

them to meet their objectives.

You have fol lowed all the instructions given.

Your bid is written well , free of significant errors and easy to read

You can offer good value for money, not just the cheapest price.

Your bid is competitive

Your approach is professional and positive.

As stated earl ier the the purchasing organisation may read through

hundreds of bids a year and so their evaluation team are adept at

spotting a poorly produced tender.

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1 0

Aside from meeting the minimum standards, to ensure your bid

stands a greater chance of becoming a winning bid, it must:

· Provide supporting evidence of any claims made and any

additional documentation provided to be clearly referenced.

· Demonstrate commitment to contiuous improvement, best

practice and the organisation.

· Show experiences of how your organisation has put theory into

practice.

· Provide clear detai l of possible variations.

Tender PresentationQuality of writingGood writing skil ls are critical when writing your tender. Whilst you may

well be the best man for the job, if you fail to get the key messages

across or produce a tender that is unclear with no structure, the

organisation is unl ikely to consider you further.

Style of writingThe writing style of your tender must be:

1 . Interesting

Your bid must grab the evaluators attention and give them something to

remember. Provide good opening statements that get to the point, add

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a piece of 'lesser known' information relevant to them. What innovative

and interesting solutions could you propose?

2. Clear and concise

Write in a way that is easy to read and straight to the point. Don't waffle

on, just include what is necessary. Use plain English and be consistent

in your terminology and language use. Avoid the use of weak qualifiers,

keeping sentances short should help el iminate unecessary qualifiers

that exaggerate your statements but too easily become over used,

such as very and really. Also watch out for those qualifying words that

can weaken your statements, such as fairly, rather, mostly, general ly,

somewhat etc, be confident and assertive in your proposals. We do is a

stronger statement than we mostly do or general ly do.

3. Good punctuation and spell ing

I t would be a very sad reason to lose a contract because of significant

bad grammar and poor spell ing, with tools l ike spell ing and grammar

check, it is inexcusable. As well as making your bid appear hurried and

the potential for statements being misunderstood, poor presentation in

this way could be deemed as a lack of a commitment to the contract

and organisation.

4. Professional, with a personable touch

First and foremost, your tender is a formal and legal offer and should

be written in a professional way. The tone of the tender should,

however give the evaluator a sense of the people behind the

proposals. Don't be over famil iar and it isn't the place for comedy. Be

positive, confident, excited and believe in what you are offering and it

wil l come through in your tender writing.

The StructureOrganisations wil l either tel l you directly the order your tender should

be written in or wil l expect you to fol low the same order they have set

out in the evaluation criteria or invitation to tender documents. Set out

your proposals clearly ensuring the information you provide flows. Don't

jump from one point to another and back again. The structure of your

tender needs to make it easy for the evaluator to understand your

proposals, going off course makes their job harder, important

information can be missed and runs the risk of losing points. Fol lowing

the order set out in the invitation to tender documents is not only of

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benefit for the evaluator but wil l make it easier to create a smooth

flowing tender. An effective way to break up sections is to use

diagrams, charts or pictures to help clarify the points made. Be careful

not to use too many, as this can make a bid look cluttered and messy,

think of them as a welcome break from the black and white rather than

a bombardment of colour distracting them from the written text.

I t is a good idea when you have completed your tender to write and

include a summary of the offer you have made, the main points you

want the evaluator to take note of . This is cal led an 'Executive

summary' and should be no longer than one page. I t is the 'go-to' page

to enable evaluators to re-cal l who you are and what you are

proposing.

Responding to RequirementsI t is imperative to your success that your tender proposal answers all

the questions and requirements of the purchasing organisation. You

must present a solution to every need stated. Ask yourself How can I

satisfy this need or How can I answer this question? Can I or Can't I

isn't an option. I f you are unclear about any of the requirements or

questions asked, don't be afraid to ask for clarification. Each response

must:

Be clear, comprehensive and to the point

Demonstrate your knowledge of the area to be worked in, including

your experience and the skil ls you would bring.

What wil l you do to meet their needs? Don't just repeat their

requirements, explain how you wil l fufi l them and what you wil l do.

What benefits wil l you bring to the work? Think about your unique

sell ing point and how you can add to the benefits your competitors may

be proposing. What is your added value, making you stand out from

the rest?

How you wil l offer value for money? This wil l usual ly be covered when

answering the above questions. Remember, value for money isn't just

about the price.

Can you do what you have proposed? If accepted and your proposals

were put into a legal and binding contract could you fufi l them. Be

truthful about what you can do.

Attach evidence and information to support your proposals as an

appendix. This wil l ensure an easier read for the evaluator. I t al lows

1 3

them to go through your proposals first and know where to go to

examine your evidence or for further information later. When an

evaluator first looks at your tender they want to know that you have

answered all their requirements and develop an interest in you before

delving further into the evidence and information. I t would be a great

waste of their time if they read through each proposal and it's

supporting evidence etc to get to find that a later proposal won't meet

their needs.

EvidenceWhen compil ing your evidence, make sure it is clear both to read and

how it supports you proposal. I t is vital that once you have impressed

the evaluator with your proposals, you have the supporting evidence

and examples to back it up. Don't leave anything to the evaluators

imagination. Consider what questions they wil l l ikely ask when reading

your proposal, look at your invitation to tender documents for clues to

the types of questions they are l ikely to seek answers to. You should be

able to back up every statement you make and provide relevant

examples to i l lustrate your points.

Costings and Financial information

When providing costs of the proposals you have made, you wil l usual ly

be required to complete a 'pricing schedule'. The pricing schedule wil l

specify what financial information is to be included. Depending on what

is required this could be an hourly rate, a rate per product or rate per

end user. When providing costs you must ensure;

you have provided complete costs, taking into account any on-going

costs and overheads.

You offer value for money and the evaluator has all the supporting

information to conclude this.

Al l the information is given in the requested format and your overal l

price has been set out in figures and words with the currency and

whether VAT is included made clear.

Provide detai ls of how long your prices wil l remain valid. Tender

decisions can be a lengthy process, so you wil l need to consider when

your costs tend to incur increases.

Consider entering a contingency for any unexpected costs or additional

work that may arise. Be sure to explain where and why you have

included this in your proposal

1 4

I f this is your first tender bid don't be tempted to bid too low, thinking

you wil l get your foot in the door. The evaluator wil l either be suspicious

of your low bid, suspecting the level of quality you can provide or in the

event that your bid is successful, it wil l be extremely difficult to increase

your prices with this organisation in the future. Price your tender

realistical ly and at a cost enabling you to provide a top quality service

now and in the future.

Follow the instructionsThe purchasing organisation includes instructions for a reason. You

must fol low them, fai lure to do so is l ikely to lose you favour with an

evaluator. I f you can't/won't do as they ask at the bidding stage, how do

they know you wil l l isten to them once the contract has been given.

Your Well Presented TenderYour well presented tender wil l be enjoyable to read, easy on the eye

and of good quality. To make the most of your chance to win business;

Don't hand write your tender, always type it, using the same font style

and size throughout (arial 1 2 is a good option).This ensures the look

and feel of your tender is consistent and easy to read.

Provide an index, clearly numbered pages and clear labeling of

supporting information.

Present your tender in a fi le or have it professionally bound

Keep sentances and paragraphs short. Use bullet points to make points

clearer.

Check, double check and check again that al l your information is

consistent from start to finish.

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1 6

SummaryFor you to produce a successful and winning tender bid, it is essential

that it is:

· Of good quality throughout.

· Addresses and provides solutions to al l of the purchasing

organistations requirements and questions.

· Structured in the format requested .

· Competitive and clearly presents the value you wil l bring .

· Written and presented well

Checklist1 . Have all the relevant questions and requirements been answered.

2. Can your proposals be carried out and has the supporting evidence

been provided?

3. Is the supporting evidence referenced and clearly set out in an

appendix?

4. Is everything set out in the same font size and style?

5. Has the document been signed in al l the relevant places, double

check this always as far too often a tender has been dismissed

simply because the bidder has forgotten or missed where they

need to sign.

6. Do you have a duplicate copy, somewhere safe, for you to refer to

in the future?

7. Has your completed presentation been triple checked? Is there

someone else outside of the project that can read and check it

over for you? They may bring to l ight any questions you need to

consider further.

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1 8

Top Tips For Successful Bids1 . Plan each point ful ly, taking each stage one step at a time.

2. Read all the questions and requirements careful ly and answer them

ful ly. Make sureyour proposals focus on and cover every

requirement set out in your 'invitation to bid' documents,

specification and/or evaluation criteria.

3. Always provide supporting evidence or statements for your

proposals.

4. Study all documentation, ensuring you understand what is required

from and expected of you.

5. Fol low all instructions completely.

6. Provide all the information requested, I f for any reason you cannot

provide information, seek advice from the purchasing organisation

for an alternative.

7. Where possible, cross reference your proposal response to the

requirements or questions in the 'invitation to bid' documents.

8. What is the objective of the contract? You need to know and

understand this, keeping it in mind from preparation to completion.

Stay focused.

9. Don't let the documentation put you off, it is okay to ask for help.

1 0. Don't include promotional material inyour tender unless of course

you have been specifical ly asked to.

1 1 . What format has the purchasing organisation requested your tender

be in? Have you complied? Do not send in any other format

1 2. Don't use jargon - stick to plain English.

1 3. Return everything by the date and time given, not a second later.

1 4. Has everything that needs to be signed, been so. Check again.

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ResourcesFor a range of guides and resources to assist in your business including

how to cost your services visit:

http: //www.cleaningbrief.com/our-guides-and-services.php

To search for information about contracts worth over £1 0,000 with the

government and its agencies visit:

https: //www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

For the governments guide on tendering for public sector contracts visit:

https: //www.gov.uk/tendering-for-public-sector-contracts

21

ExamplesExample 1 : Invitation to Tender

<insert date>

Tender for: <insert description>

Dear Sirs

Invitation to Tender

Purchasing organisation invites offers for the supply of <insert

description>

Your tender must be submitted in compliance with the fol lowing

documents which accompany this invitation to tender:-

Instructions to Tenderers

Form of Tender (including Certificate of Tender)

Specification of Requirements for a #

Contract Documents

I t is the responsibi l ity of the tenderers to ensure that offers are received

by 1 0.30hrs on <insert date>. Tenders received after this time shall not

be considered, but shall be opened, recorded, marked “Late Tender”

and returned to sender.

Please acknowledge receipt of this Invitation to Tender by sending a

facsimile marked for the ##NAME/TITLE to 01 224-27XXXX##,

confirming whether you intend to offer.

Yours faithful ly

<insert name and title>

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Example 2:Tender Acknowledgement FormTo:

<Purchasing Organisation Name,

Department and

Address>

(YOUR fax no XXXXX XXXXXX)

Date: <insert date>

Dear Sirs,

Re: Tender for:

We acknowledge receipt of your Invitation to Tender package.

We have received all of the documents l isted in the Invitation to Tender

without damage and in usable condition.

We have read the Invitation to Tender and wil l tender in accordance

with the requirements detai led.

OR

We do not wish to tender and accordingly return the complete Invitation

to Tender package with this letter.

Yours faithful ly,

<insert name and title>

For and on behalf of:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Example 3:Instructions to TenderersPurchasing Organistaion Tender for: <insert description>

Instructions to Tenderers

Form of Tender

Tenders must be submitted with the enclosed Form of Tender, and must

be supplemented

by all other information and authorities requested in these Tender

Documents.

Tenderers should note that al l attachments and appendices to the Form

of Tender shall

upon award of Contract be deemed part of the Contract.

Submission of Tenders

The original Tender plus one copy must be submitted in a sealed

package or envelope addressed as fol lows:

#Purchasing Organisation Name

Department &

Address detai ls#

Your submission should also prominently display the fol lowing message:

“TENDER

FOR:### COMMERCIALLY CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT OPEN”

The name of the tendering firm must not appear on the envelope, nor

must it be visible

through the envelope.

The Tender must not arrive later than ##. The Tender shall be valid for

acceptance for a

period of 90 days from the date fixed for receipt of Tenders.

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Award and Preparation Costs

The purchasing organisation reserves the right to award the contract for

goods and services as detai led in this invitation as it sees fit, and may

reject any or al l of the Tenders received with no obligation to disclose its

reasons.

The cost of Tender preparation shall be borne in ful l by the Tenderer,

who shall have no

recourse to the purchasing organisation for this or any related expense.

Currency, VAT and Summation

The currency of the Contract shall be UK Pounds, and costings shall be

prepared on this

basis.

Al l sums entered in the Tender are to be inclusive of VAT.

All costs which may be directly or indirectly related to the satisfactory

completion of the

Contract and for which remuneration would be sought shall be clearly

detai led and summarised in your tender, or in accompanying

paperwork. No other additional charges which could reasonably have

been anticipated shall be accepted.

Delivery

The purchasing organisation is working to a target of service provision

before ###.

This date may become critical and influence our selection; please

consider this when

calculating lead times. Please include a detai led schedule which you

wil l implement in

order to meet the service requirement.

Instal lation and acceptance protocols and procedures are to be

provided.

Your offer must include all del ivery and on-site service costs including

adequate

insurances.

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Proposed Sub-contractors

Details of proposed sub-contractors must be supplied, with associated

workscopes.

Fitness for Purpose

The Tenderer shall be deemed to have reasonable knowledge of and

satisfied itself as to the nature of the purchasing organisations

requirement, and any conditions which may affect its tender to supply,

in order that the goods and related services offered shall be fit for

purpose (see note 1 2, Contact for Queries).

Training and Documentation

Details of on/off-site training required for ful l local operation to be

included, together with

Proposals relating to how this should be funded.

Alternative Proposals

1 0.1 You may wish to submit Alternative Proposals which include

preferential costings supply or alternative means of delivering

best value for money.

1 0.2 Alternative Proposals must be clearly marked so, and be

submitted as separate appendix to your main tender.

Change in Status of Tenderer

In the event that after the date of this Invitation to Tender and prior to

the award of any

Contract, the status or identity or circumstances of the Tenderer is

changed in any

material way, including but not l imited to merger, amalgamation, take-

over or any other

reorganisation, change of name, or involvement in any action relating to

receivership,

l iquidation, bankruptcy, winding-up or similar action, such change wil l

be notified to the

purchasing organisation immediately. Failure to comply with this may

result in Tenderers being disqualified, or in the event of any award of

Contract shall be deemed to be in breach of Contract.

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Contact for Queries

1 2.1 All questions relating to the Tender Documents must be

addressed in

writing to ## NAME AND TITLE, fax number 0XXXX-XXXXXX##.

Answers to technical queries shall be addressed in writing to

##NAME circulated as necessary.

1 2.2 The authorised contact for this Tender is ##NAME## and in no

circumstances should the substance of these documents be

discussed with any other member of the purchasing organisation

without the specific written agreement of the authorised contact.

Please note : The Purchasing Organisation reserves the right to refuse

a Tender which has not been submitted in accordance with the

instructions detai led here.

27

Example 4:Form of Tender<Insert Contact Details>

For the attention of <insert name>

Dear Sirs

Tender for : <insert description>

Having careful ly examined the subject Invitation to Tender dated # and

the documents detai led therein:-

We confirm that we have ful ly satisfied ourselves as to the nature of the

requirements of the purchasing organisation.

We hereby offer to supply the services in accordance with your

Invitation to Tender and its enclosures as fol lows:

Instructions to Tenderers

Form of Tender (including Certificate of Tender)

Specification of Requirements for ##

In the event that our Tender is accepted we undertake to execute a

formal contract with the Purchasing Organisation embodying all of the

terms and conditions contained within this offer.

Unless and unti l a formal agreement is executed, this Tender together

with the Purchasing Organisations written or telefaxed acceptance shall

constitute a binding Contract between us.

We agree to abide by our Tender for a period of 90 days fixed from the

lodgement date of

tenders, and it shal l be binding upon us at any time before expiration of

that period.

We understand that you are not bound to accept the lowest or any

Tender received, nor assign a reason for the rejection of any Tender.

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We accept that any costs incurred in Tender preparation are for our

own account.

We understand that this shall be deemed to be our only and final offer,

and unsolicited re-tenders shall not be considered.

We confirm that the person whose signature is appended to this Tender

is a duly authorised signatory of our Company and has ful l and formal

legal authority to sign this Tender on behalf of our Company.

We understand that if our Tender is accepted we shall be reimbursed

for the services in accordance with the terms and conditions of the

Contract to be executed between us.

Certificate of Tender

We certify that this is a bona fide Tender, intended to be competitive,

and that we have not

fixed or adjusted the amount of the Tender in accordance with any other

person, body or

association.

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Authorisation

Signed:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name (Print):

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For and on behalf of:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ful l address, including postal code, to which all communications relating

to this Tender should be despatched:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Telephone Number: -------------------------------------------

Facsimile Number: -------------------------------------------

List of Documents Included with Form of Tender:

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Example 5:Supplier Appraisal FormPurchasing Organisation Supplier Appraisal Form

Please complete in BLOCK CAPITALS or typescript.

COMPANY DETAILS

Full Name

Full Address

Post Code

Telephone.

Fax.

E-mail .

Address of Headquarters (if different from above)

Telephone.

Fax.

E-mail .

Date your company was formed:

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Type of company

Incorporated # Partnership # Sole Trader #

Other (please specify)

BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

Describe briefly the range of services supplied by your company:

Give brief detai ls of the areas in which your company special ises:

How many people does your company employ?

Permanent staff:

Contract staff:

FINANCIAL AND GENERAL INFORMATION

Turnover in each of

20##-

20##-

20##-

the last three years: £

Wil l you authorise us to obtain bank references if required?

YES / NO

Name and address of your company’s bankers:

Please attach a copy of the audited accounts for each of the last two

years.

I f audited accounts are not available please state why in the box below

and attach any relevant financial information which is available.

32

Of what professional and/or trade associations, if any, is your company

a member?

EXPERIENCE

Who are your major customers?

May we seek references?

YES / NO

Company Contact Name.

Telephone No.

Which other similar purchasing organisations have you supplied

goods/services to, and when?

Purchasing Organisation Supply Date

Contact Name

Telephone No.

Describe any services undertaken during the past two years which may

be relevant to the proposed purchasing organisation services:

33

Does your firm have a national ly recognised quality monitoring system

in place? If so, please provide detai ls

.

Any other information you wish to provide and/or l ist of documents you

have attached:

Signed for the Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Name (block letters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Designation/Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34

Example 6:Simple Contract

For the supply of

between

The Purchasing Organisation

and

Your Company

Insert date

Section 1 : FORM OF AGREEMENT

Contract for the Supply of:

AGREEMENT made as of this day of 20##, by and between Your

Company having its principal office at Your Company Address

(hereinafter cal led the “Contractor”), and the Purchasing Organisation,

having its principal office atThe purchasing Organisations Address

(hereinafter cal led the 'Purchaser')

The Contractor wishes to provide a ######### to the Purchaser, and

the Purchaser wishes to purchase ########### from the Contractor,

al l as more particularly described in the documents incorporated here.

I t is hereby agreed as fol lows:

35

The Contract shall incorporate:

Section 1 : Form of Agreement

Section 2: Articles of Agreement and Price

Section 3: Specification of Requirements

Section 4: The Purchasing Organisations General Conditions of

Purchase

All of which shall be read as one document.

In case of confl icting statements the order of precedence is:

This Contract

The Purchasing Organisations General Conditions of Purchase

The Contractor’s response to the invitation to tender

The Contractor’s representative shall be ################,

telephone number: ##### ######,

facsimile number: ##### ######.

The Purchasing Organisations representative shall be ###########

telephone number: ##### ######,

facsimile number: ##### ######.

The services shall be as described in Section 2: Specification of

Requirements.

The Contractor shall provide the services to the Purchaser in

accordance with Section 2: Articles of Agreement and Price.

The Purchaser shall pay the Contractor the price in accordance with

section 2: Articles of Agreement and Price.

Signed for and witnessed on behalf of the Contractor

Signed:

-----------------------------------------------------

Witness:

-----------------------------------------------------

at:

-----------------------------------------------------

Date

36

Signed for and witnessed on behalf of

the Purchaser

Signed:

-----------------------------------------------------

Witness:

-----------------------------------------------------

at:

-----------------------------------------------------

Date

------------------------------------------

Section 2: Articles of Agreement and Price

Services to be Supplied

The services to be supplied are those listed as Items #### of Appendix

A to the Form of Tender

submitted by the Contractor on ####### (a copy of which is attached to

this Section as Annex 1 ).

Price

The Price shall be #### as detai led in Clause #### of Appendix A to

the Form of Tender submitted

by the Contractor, that is £#####.

Delivery

Delivery of al l services shall be made to the fol lowing address:

<insert address>

Services are required to commence by <insert date and time>.

is included in the Price.

Value Added Tax

The prices contained herein shall include Value Added Tax.

Terms and Conditions (including Payment)

All other Terms and Conditions set out in Section 4 – The Purchasing

Organisations General Conditions of Purchase shall apply to this

Contract, except that any terms or conditions contained in Section 1 –

37

Form of Agreement, or in Section 2 – Articles of Agreement and Price,

which differ from those in Section 4 shall take precedence.

Annex 1 to Section 2: Articles of Agreement and Price

(To be submitted as Appendix A to the Form of Tender by the Supplier)

(Blank page - to be completed by supplier and incorporated in contract)

Annex 2 to Section 2: Articles of Agreement and Price

(Service Agreements etc.)

(Blank page – to be completed by supplier and incorporated in

contract).

38

Example 7: Record of TenderPROJECT TITLE:

REFERENCE:

REQUISITIONER NAME:

TENDER MANAGER:

DEPARTMENT:

IS THE ESTIMATED VALUE OF CONTRACT LESS THAN £1 00,000?

(Purchasing Services must be consulted on all tenders of £1 00k and

above)

IS THE ESTIMATED VALUE OF CONTRACT £1 54,000 OR OVER?

(All contracts above this threshold must be tendered – by the

Purchasing Officer – in accordance with the Public Supply/Service

Contract Regulations. Approximately 90 days should be allowed for

this).

SPECIFICATION OF REQUIREMENTS DRAWN UP INCLUDING

WHOLE-LIFE COST ELEMENTS?

ADVERTISEMENT OF TENDER NOTICE?

DATE: _ _ / _ _ / _ _

INVITATIONS TO TENDER ISSUED

DATE: _ _ / _ _ / _ _

NUMBER OF INVITATIONS ISSUED

DATE SET FOR RECEIPT OF TENDERS

_ _ / _ _ / _ _

39

NUMBER OF TENDERS RECEIVED

NUMBER OF LATE TENDERS

SUPPLIERS SHORTLISTED.

HOW MANY?

PRESENTATION / SITE VISITS ARRANGED?

AGREEMENT ON SELECTION

BID SUMMARY / RECORD OF SELECTION COMPLETED

CONTRACT AWARDED DATE: _ _ / _ _ / _ _

UNSUCCESSFUL TENDERS ADVISED OF CONTRACT AWARD

COMMITMENT ENTERED TO SYSTEM

CedAr REQ. NO:

CedAr ORDER:

SIGNATURE OF TENDER MANAGER

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.

DATE _ _ / _ _ / _ _

40

41

42

The aim of this guide is to give you tips, guidance and confidence to

begin growing your business through the tender and procurement

processes. Whilst writing this guide, we wanted to simplify the

processes involved and help you to understand them and hope we

have achieved this. However, as with everything the best way to

simplify a process is to do it and so if you are sti l l feel ing overwhelmed

by all means, visit the government website l inks provided, watch some

of the videos but be wary of overloading your self with information and

then simply begin the process. I t is real ly the only way you wil l ever get

to grips with the system. Take the plunge and learn as you go. Once

you find a contract that would suit your business, don't be afraid to ask

for more information or clarification if you need it. I f your tender bid isn't

the winning bid, ask why not? The purchasing organisation must give

you a response within a set time frame, currently organisation must

provide a response within 20 days of your request. This information is

an important part of your learning process. Every contract you win

helps your business grow, every contract you don't helps you and your

business knowledge grow. So what have you got to lose. With al l the

new government initiatives there is no better time to begin Tendering.

I f you have any further questions you are very welcome to post your

questions to

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Twitter: @cleaningbrief

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