Torbay Council has a variety of procurement routes open to it and makes decisions as to which route to choose based upon the specific details of each procurement opportunity as it arises. Such factors might include the size and maturity of the market, the size and value of the Contract on offer and whether a Contract already exists that we can buy in to. These options shall be discussed in more detail below.

One of the first things that a Procurement Officer will ask a stakeholder is “what is the value of the Contract”? From there we can make an assessment as to which procurement route must be undertaken, as dictated by Torbay Council’s Financial Regulations and the Public Procurement Regulations 2006 (as amended 2009). Briefly, a Contract with a value of up to £10,000 may be subject to a minimum of one (1) quotation, between £10,000 and £50,000 Torbay Council is obliged to undertake a formal quotation process involving a minimum of three (3) suppliers, above £50,000 Torbay Council must obtain a minimum of three (3) Tenders and procurements subject to the Public Procurement Regulations must be advertised in such a way as to be open to anyone from the European Union to express their interest.

Whilst Torbay Council is perfectly able to advertise a procurement opportunity of a value less than £50,000, it is likely that we will not, as there are alternative options open to us. One such option is to engage with suppliers that are registered on our electronic tendering system: Devon Tenders.  Due to the fact that Torbay Council needs only to engage a minimum of three (3) suppliers, it may therefore use the system to select appropriate suppliers based on the company profile and other information provided by those suppliers when registering. As such it is recommended that you register on the system in order that Torbay Council may be aware of the products and/or services that your organisation offers (Please see the How to do Business with the Council Page for further details)

Contracts with a total value in excess of £50,000 must be advertised and anyone that wishes to express their interest in fulfilling the Contract must be allowed to submit a tender, subject to meeting certain criteria through the process (please see for further details).

There are several different options for how an opportunity might be advertised, as explained below.

Torbay Council’s electronic tendering system Devon Tenders  may, in addition to acting as a supplier database (as alluded to above), also be utilised as an advertising tool. As such, it is again advisable that suppliers register on the system in order to gain full access to all of the advertised procurement opportunities that are available. The Council may also advertise in the local or national press or trade or industry specific journals. Lastly, procurement opportunities that are subject to the Public Procurement Regulations must also be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and tender search facilities are available that can do the work of seeking out suitable opportunities for your organisation.

Where a Contract or ‘Framework Agreement’ already exists that Torbay Council may buy in to, we may decide to do so in order to save resources, both time and costs, as the procurement will have already been undertaken and supplier/s appointed. These types of Contracts or Agreements may be procured by other public sector bodies, including Local Authorities, Police Authorities and Fire Services. They may also be procured by buying consortia, which are groups of Local Authorities that work together to secure Contracts across a large number of Councils. Finally, they may be established by central government bodies, including Buying Solutions (part of the Efficiency and Reform Group within the Cabinet Office), which provides procurement arrangements for all United Kingdom public services.

Where this is the case, Torbay Council will engage the supplier/s appointed to those Contracts or Framework Agreements to supply the goods or services required as opposed to advertising the particular procurement opportunity available to the whole of the market. Potential suppliers are advised to monitor all sources of procurement advertising in order to ensure that you express your interest in tendering to become part of such Contracts and Framework Agreements as and when they arise.

Links to:

OGC