Find various useful sites and processes that can help you deliver procurement.
E-Tendering
CPC have partnered with Elcom to provide CPC Sourcing Cloud - a suite of e-tendering modules:
- Tender – a comprehensive e-tendering solution for running local and Find a Tender Service procurement exercises
- Contract - a complete contract management solution for recording and maintaining contracts.
- Mutliquote - A dynamic tool for fast sourcing of products
- Mini Comp - A simple and free to use tool for running procurement exercises on CPC frameworks
Delta e-sourcing - Delta eSourcing is an end-to-end, PCR 2015 compliant, full eSourcing web-based service which allows buying organisations to manage tenders, suppliers and contracts in a single solution.
myTenders Pro - e-tendering system that allows the publishing and managing of tenders subject to The Public Contracts Regulations
Contracts Finder - the public sector portal to publish your contract award opportunities. From 1 April 2015 all above PCR 2015 threshold contract opportunities and contract award notices must be published on Contracts Finder in addition to Find a Tender. From 1 April 2015 if a College chooses to advertise a contract opportunity of a value of between £25,000 and the appropriate PCR 2015 threshold, the contract opportunity must be advertised on Contracts Finder. These Regulations apply to colleges and universities but do not apply to maintained schools or academies. The Crown Commercial Services Guidance on Contracts Finder provides further information.
PCR 2015 Tendering
Cabinet Office guidance to The UK Public Contracts Regulations
The Public Contracts Regulations 2015
Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Notes (PPN) provide statutory and non-statutory guidance on topics and issues arising on public procurement rules and policy. All of the published procurement policy notes are available to download.
Purchasing Consortia
A procurement consortium is a collective of businesses or organisations that procure jointly in order to maximise their bargaining power and enjoy economies of scale. Read more about the advantages of using them in the Purchasing Consortia section.
Small to Medium Size Enterprises
The following links contains useful resources for engaging Small to Medium Enterprises in public sector contracts.
- Reforms to make public sector procurement more accessible to SMEs
- Cabinet Office SME procurement top tips
- Contracts finder - Public sector tender opportunity portal
- Government Procurement Dynamic Marketplace
The Government is committed to making it easier for suppliers, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), to do business with Government Departments and has created the Dynamic Marketplace. - Cabinet Office stands up for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)
- Cabinet Office: Online tool to help smaller firms
- Cabinet Office: A better deal for smaller businesses
- Cabinet Office: Making Government business more accessible to SMEs – One Year On
- Contract pipelines to help SME's source contracts
Sustainability
Sustainability encompasses environmental, economic and social issues. While it is often thought of as reducing consumption and waste; or recycling, it is also about ensuring people are treated fairly when harvesting or manufacturing goods for our consumption.
Procura+ A Guide to Cost Effective Sustainable Public Procurement - Procura+ supports public authorities in implementing sustainable public procurement, promotoes their achievements and fosters exchange on good practice from public procurers and experts nationally.
ActionSustainability - Action Sustainability is a Social Enterprise set up to lead and inspire sustainable procurement. We support and facilitate the Strategic Supply Chain group, a leading authority on sustainable procurement whose members are Directors and Senior Man.
Buy Sustainable - Quick Wins (DEFRA)- These 'Quick Wins' are specifically designed for procurers. They are a set of sustainable specifications for a range of commonly-purchased products, such as IT equipment, white goods, paper (including tissue), etc. The products assessed were chosen for their environmental / financial impact, scope for environmental improvement and political or example-setting function.
The Carbon Trust offer site visitsto colleges. They will offer practicle advice on energy saving measures. In addition these recomendations will be eligiable for Salix Funding. The Government, in partnership with Salix Finance and the Carbon Trust have provided over £50 million in interest free loans to help public sector organisations take advantage of energy efficiency technology.
Computer Aid International - Computer Aid International provides only the highest-quality, professionally refurbished computers for reuse in education, health and not-for-profit organisations in developing countries. Computer Aid has shipped over 100,000 PCs to where they are most needed in more than 100 countries, making us the world's largest and most experienced ICT 4 Development provider.
Department for Transport - Sustainable travel - This describes the Department or transports work to promote initiatives that can reduce congestion, improve local environments and encourage healthier and safer lifestyles.
Buying Green Handbook by the European Commission.
Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges - The EAUC is the sustainability champion for universities and colleges in the UK. Run by members, for its members, the EAUC seeks to work with members and partners to drive sustainability to the heart of further and higher education.
Green ICT - JISC Involve - The blog exists to help get out the messages that the JISC’s activities in the area of "Green-ICT" are producing. JISC exists to help the UK Higher and Further education sectors to make best use of the opportunities that ICT can bring to the activities of research, teaching and learning and administration.
The Public Sector Sustainability Association (PSSA) has been created to bring together a wide group of people working across all parts of the public sector – who have a common interest in the field of sustainability. The aim of the Association is to provide up to date information to help members develop and deliver sustainable solutions in their organisations. Through networking members will share ideas and knowledge – connecting people who need some pragmatic answers to their everyday problems – and disseminating good ideas and practice. This will be complemented by the extensive knowledge hub and resource centre.
Power Perfectors - The Environmental Technology Centre carried out trials on a Power Perfector (PP) energy efficiency device that reduces electricity consumption by optimising supply voltages. The main aim of the trials was to determine resultant energy savings over a set period on a range of loads. please see below section on Voltage optimisation as other installers are available. Please see the following case study on voltage optimisation.
Recycling Factory - Simple recycling solutions - The Recycling Factory can collect all your used printer cartridges and old mobile phones and recycle them. We will pay your business for every cartridge or mobile phone we can successfully recycle and reuse.
Sustainable Development UK Government - The following pages provide information on what the UK Government is doing in order to move towards sustainable development. The pages contain information on our priorities, commitments and contributions as well as information on managing our estate sustainably. In addition there are links to the various Government task forces, working groups and public bodies involved with monitoring and delivering sustainable development.
Client Earth - Identifying Opportunities for Sustainable Public Procurement. Client Earth briefing series aims to consolidate, clarify and expand opportunities to use public procurement to contribute to sustainable development objectives.
EU Toolkit on Greener Procurement - In the main this covers products such as Paper, Cleaning products, Office IT Equipment and the practical examples will be useful for those sourcing products. For those of you procuring services the principles of Greener Procurement can be followed through the different modules, and in particular through Module 2 - The Legal Module, which relates to all purchases (though a little doubtful about the proportional marking suggested on the evaluation criteria - but challenge by Suppliers would be defended by reference to this Legal Toolkit) It is a practical and valuable for sustainable procurement purposes
WRAP works with local authorities, business and households to prevent waste, increase recycling and develop markets for recycled and sustainable products. It is there aim to create the case for change, support change and deliver change.