1. Finding and managing professional help
25th January 2017

2. Finding professional help
Welcome and introduction Ailsa Raeburn–Scottish Land Fund Head of Community Assets Alison Crook–Scottish Land Fund Adviser Tony Crosbie–Scottish Land Fund Operations Manager

3. Finding professional help
Do you need to buy in professional help for your community purchase?
Then you will need a procurement process
Here’s why:-
To access the best available advice
To get value for money – professional advice is expensive!
To show that you have been open and fair
To satisfy current and future funders
To avoid contravening regulations & damage to your reputation
Your project may depend on it!

4. The jargon…. You are the client
The brief explains the project and your requirements
Procurement is the steps to appointing a firm
The tender list is the shortlist of firms invited to submit proposals
Their return can be called a proposal/bid/quote/tender
The firm you appoint is your consultant or contractor
You issue a letter of acceptance or both sign a contract

5. Procurement
Procurement covers the purchase of goods, works or services.
For community groups seeking to buy land or buildings, this could include services such as:-
Options appraisal/feasibility study
Business Planning
Housing needs survey
Building survey
Valuation
Legal services
Building design Architect/Engineer/Quantity Surveyor

6. Different types of procurement
The procurement process you adopt will depend on the nature of the work involved, the size of the budget and requirements of potential funders. There are 3 main procurement methods:-
Invite competitive quotes from suitable firms and accept lowest. Usually 3 quotes invited. Suitable for <£5k
Selection balancing quality and price. Between 3 & suitable firms invited to submit bids then detailed selection process. Suitable for >£5k.
Open OJEU (advertised in Official Journal of the European Union) for contracts >£68k for public bodies.

7. Procurement rules and guidelines
Goods/services
up to 50k (local policies rules apply  -we would recommend requesting 3-6 quotes)
50k-164k - Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016 apply
over £164 – OJEU procurement rules apply (Public Contract Scotland 2015)
Works
up to £2million (recommend requesting 3-6 quotes)
Between £2million and £4.4 million - Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016 apply
Over £4.4 million - OJEU procurement rules apply (Public Contract Scotland 2015)
EU Thresholds – source

8. Procurement process
Step 1 – Research Step 2 – Prepare the brief Step 3 – Establish selection criteria Step 4 – Invite proposals Step 5 – Evaluate proposals – may include interviews Step 6 – Appoint Step 7 – Project management Step 8 - Completion

9. Step 1 - Research Do your homework! What do you want to do?
What free advice/support can you get?
What outside assistance do you need?
What is your budget/possible funding source?
What procurement guidance/rules do your funders have?
What firms are out there and what is their track record?
What will your procurement process be and who will you involve in this?

10. Step 2 – Prepare the Brief
Write up your plans & involve others!
Organisation & history
Community description & engagement to date
Proposed project
Project objectives and outputs
Key partners and stakeholders
Skills and service required
Selection process
Terms & conditions of appointment
Timescales
Available budget (optional)
Supporting info e.g. accounts, map, Board & Staff members

11. Step 3 – establish selection criteria
The criteria you use for selecting a consultant should be consistent, transparent and above all fair. There should also be consensus across your group members for utilising a particular methodology.
Selection criteria examples -track record, expertise, proposed methodology, capacity to deliver within timescales, customer references or testimonials
Scoring – weighted, fixed or combination
Scoring should be based on written submission and/or interview
NB: to ensure transparency and fairness the selection and scoring criteria should not be changed once issued

12. Step 4 – Invite proposals
Depending on the budget for the work you should aim to invite between 3 and 6 consultants to ensure a strong selection if they don’t all bid. You could also advertise your brief.
The group should appoint a selection panel (2 or 3 members) to select a tender list of consultants and agree on what basis they are to be appointed
Identify firms and check they are interested in bidding
Provide all firms with a single point of contact (SPOC) for any queries
Provide all bidders with same info and answers to queries
If interviewing as well as scoring bids, be prepared (agree questions, arrange a suitable venue, provide adequate notice of interview dates)

13. Step 5 – Evaluate proposals
If you are scoring written proposals remember not to open all of the bids until after the deadline has passed.
Follow criteria issued
Take time to fully assess written proposals
Score against an agreed rating range e.g.0-4 ranging from Unacceptable, Poor, Acceptable, Good, Excellent
You might choose to weight price and quality –see our 10 steps for more details and also a scoring template (
Keep a record for transparency and constructive feedback to unsuccessful consultants

14. Step 6 - Appoint
Once you’ve found the consultant who can best deliver your brief you can appoint them but arrange a meeting or telephone conversation first to confirm your arrangement.
It’s always good practice to ask for references from previous clients
Insist on prior approval with SPOC for changes
Ensure funding is in place before appointing- allowing for the addition of VAT & expenses
Your board should agree the content of a contract to be offered (
Issue letter of appointment/contract – be clear on cost
Provide feedback to unsuccessful bidders

15. Step 7 – Project Management
If the consultant would benefit by meeting those involved in the contract management or the provision of information, it is a good idea to hold an inception meeting to clarify.
Initial briefing
Reporting arrangements (the SPOC)
Project milestones and progress tracking
Review dates
Who to involve/consult
What to do about underperformance
Review of draft proposals and dialogue with funders
Presentation of final proposals

16. Step 8 - Completion
The work carried out should lead to a decision to go ahead or not with a proposal, For most organisations, the completion of a consultancy contract marks the start of further work to take forward the outputs and deliverables that resulted from it.
Publicity may help generate the interest of the community and funders
Developing any recommendations into an action plan for your group/relevant stakeholders
Carry out internal evaluation and feedback – project inputs, project outputs, project management

17. Top tips
Most, but not all, professional help is successful. Our top tips for success:-
Ensure good communication throughout
Be clear & consistent on what you want
Confirm in writing their fee and when it will be paid
Agree target dates and ensure they are kept to
Set decision making process at outset & stick to it
The consultant gives advice, you make decisions
Give feedback as the project progresses. If you are not happy – tell them!
Deal with any disagreements within your group
Sign off the project before making payment

18. Useful Web Links
Ten Steps to Community Ownership Calling in the Professionals video guide: Big Lottery Fund – Guide on Selecting Consultants Scottish Government toolkit for lower value procurement HIE’s Community Assets Team is here to support you. Contact: or visit our website