Early interventions employment pilot tender General Guidance Notes for Bidders 31/10/2017

Mark Ellis / Jill Smith - Sheffield City Council Commercial Services Introductions Andrea Fitzgerald – Senior Programme Manager Employment, Sheffield City Region Mark Ellis / Jill Smith - Sheffield City Council Commercial Services 31/10/2017

Provide general points about bidding for public sector contracts Aims of the session Provide general points about bidding for public sector contracts Highlight some specifics associated with this particular tender Provide points to putting together a good bid Make you feel more familiar and comfortable about the process 31/10/2017

“Your procedures seem long and complicated Does it need to be this way We are bound by rules and regulations We need to manage our risks. We are spending public sector funds We seek to be Open, Fair and Transparent Rules and Regs: in terms of how we conduct procurement Most significantly the EU Procurement Directives UK Law (PCR 2015 Procurement Procedure Rules . Risks: Many of the services which we procure are high risk and we therefore have high expectations of our suppliers. Public Sector Funds: therefore have to ensure that we get the best possible value for money and maintain continuity of service delivery. 31/10/2017

Proposed tender Process EU compliant Restricted Procedure to take place Autumn 2017 Will be an electronic only tender and conducted via the YORtender Procurement Portal Restricted Process – used for around 60% of contract let in UK 31/10/2017

Restricted Procedure Compliant with EU law & UK Public Contract Regulation 2015 This is a 2-stage process. Stage One: bidders fill out a questionnaire and, based on this, a short-list of bidders is drawn up. Stage Two: short-listed suppliers are invited to respond to an Invitation to Tender (ITT). These documents are evaluated and the contract awarded At least 30 days to complete the Questionnaire At least 30 days to complete the ITT (if selected) 31/10/2017

Restricted Procedure: Stage 1 – short-listing Selection Questionnaire (SQ), with three parts: Part 1: Potential Supplier Information Part 2: Exclusion Grounds (mandatory and discretionary) Part 3: Selection Questions Determines if you are suitable to be considered for the contract, and; Formal statement that you have not breached any of the exclusion grounds listed. 31/10/2017

Aims of the Stage 1 To find out if your company has: Essential policy in place: e.g. H&S, Diversity etc. Financial Robustness: 3-Years Accounts or letter from Bank or Accountants Appropriate Insurance Cover Employees Liability (£10 million) Public Liability (£5 million) Professional Indemnity (£2 million) Suitable References At least three recent ones Relevant to the tenders you will be bidding for 31/10/2017

Restricted Procedure: Stage 2 – Invitation to tender Formally assessment of Short-listed bidders potential to provide the stated requirements against a set of evaluation criteria We aim to obtain Most Economically Advantageous Tender (not lowest price) This is based on a mix of Price and Quality All criteria used in the tender will be weighted All tenders will be scored against a standard scoring matrix 31/10/2017

Standard scoring matrix 0-25 Unacceptable Response 26-50 Poor Response 51-67 Acceptable Response 68-84 Good Response 85-100 Excellent Response We will disqualify a bid if: Fails to achieve at least 50% for any one Quality criterion Fails to achieve an overall score of 68% or above 31/10/2017

A few tips – is it worth doing? Preparing a tender is time-consuming and costs money. If you don't get the contract, the money and time spent is usually lost - so consider the key points below before setting out to tender. Analyse the bid documents and make sure you can match the technical, skill and experience requirements. Do you meet the necessary requirements – e.g. environmental and diversity? How much will it cost to prepare your bid? Would the work fit in with your strategy and positioning of your business? Estimate the costs of fulfilling the contract and whether or not you'd make enough money to justify it. 31/10/2017

A few tips – writing your bid Make sure you match the bid specification and answer all the questions. For example: State the purpose and origin of the bid Summarise your work as a contractor, past experience and credentials for this job Say how you'll carry out the work, and how and when you will meet the client's needs Explain the benefits and value for money of your bid Demonstrate your team's skills, experience of similar work and their responsibilities if you win the contract Explain how you will manage the project Be practical, but do not make promises that are clearly impossible for you to deliver 31/10/2017

A few tips - editing your tender It is well worth spending some time looking at the presentation of your tender. Keep sentences and paragraphs short, punchy and business-like. Use bullet points and headings to break up text. Are CVs all presented in the same way? Make sure you have developed a logical argument. Read everything again. Then get a colleague to read it - checking for meaning, typing mistakes and omissions. Number paragraphs and provide a contents page so material can be easily found. Above all, make sure the tender is delivered on time – we will not consider your tender if it arrives after the deadline 31/10/2017

YORtender procurement portal A single procurement approach across Y&H Used by 24 Local Authorities across the region View current contract opportunities advertised across the Region View the contract register which provides a future view of potential opportunities and timescales Provides up to date tender information for 100’s of other public sectors organisation across England who use ProContract platform User Guides for instructions on using the system and frequently asked questions 31/10/2017

YORtender procurement portal Suppliers must register on the system Easy and quick process - don’t leave it to the last minute as it takes a few days for information to be verified You stipulate your preferred opportunity areas as well as geographical locations you can supply your goods & services Your interests matched against opportunities and you are sent alerts Alerts contain links to review, and express your interest in an opportunity You download all tender document from the site 31/10/2017

YORtender procurement portal All communications (both ways) and queries are conducted via messaging facility within Portended. Provides a comprehensive audit trail Your bid documents must be submitted via YORtender – we will not accept paper copies or emails sent to individuals with a tender attached Don’t leave it to the last minute, the portal can be very busy close to deadlines - it’s your responsibility to ensure your bid gets to us on time All bids are date and time stamped and the tender window will close automatically at the stated deadline time 31/10/2017

Summary Likely to be a restricted procedure conducted via YORtender procurement portal Process will probably take place in early autumn 2017 If you are in doubt about anything then ask questions (via the portal) Make sure your bid: matches the specification, and; answers all the questions provide all the information requested Allow plenty of time to: Register on YORtender Upload you bid documents before the deadline closes 31/10/2017

Any questions 31/10/2017

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