Our procurement policy
Scottish Enterprise (SE) has a procurement team which aims to ensure that we use good practice processes throughout the organisation when buying goods and services from our suppliers.
Code of conduct
Scottish Enterprise fully endorse the Scottish Government's Charter with regard to how we treat our suppliers in our tender processes.
Read the Suppliers' Charter on the Scottish Government website
Reducing the burden of tendering for suppliers
In conjunction with other public sector organisations including the Scottish Government, we are working hard to reduce the burden of tendering for our suppliers.
As with all public sector organisations, we are obliged to comply with complex legislation, which can sometimes lead to lengthy tender processes. Our aim is to simplify these processes as far as is possible.
Work currently being undertaken includes:
- simplifying our invitation to tender documentation and terms and conditions of contract;
- advising suppliers on how to prepare consortia bids; and
- conducting internal reviews of our procurement strategies to ensure, as far as is possible, that smaller suppliers can access contract opportunities.
Over the coming weeks and months, you will be able to see some of these new processes coming into effect. We will also include links to key documents, such as our Invitation to Tender Documentation, so suppliers can familiarise themselves with our documentation before any tender process.
All our advertised tender opportunities can now be found on our tenders page and on the Public Contracts Scotland website. We are an early adopter of this website, which over the coming months will become an advertising outlet for tenders from all Scottish public sector organisations. All tenders can be found there.
For more advice and guidance on tendering, read the Business Gateway guide to tendering for public contracts.
Procurement procedures
Scottish Enterprise has a range of procurement procedures dependent on the value and nature of what is being purchased.
Where we are seeking quotations for commissions below £50,000, or where we do not advertise a tender, tenderers will be selected from those organisations who have expressed an interest in working for Scottish Enterprise, or who have previously provided services to us. You can express your interest in these commissions by registering as a supplier on the Public Contracts Scotland website.
Contracts over £50,000 are advertised on our tenders page and on the Public Contracts Scotland website and may also be advertised in trade journals or national press. Interested suppliers must formally apply for these opportunities as they appear, and applicants will be considered in terms of their capacity and capability to supply our requirements.
There are instances where we do not advertise contracts, or may not seek to obtain competitive quotations/tenders. Such instances may include where timescales do not permit us doing so; where, for reasons of continuity of supply or intellectual property rights, we need to commission a specific organisation; or instances where only a known body of suppliers can meet our requirements.
European Procurement Directives
EU Procurement Directives cover higher value commissions for goods, services, and works (construction) contracts. As a public sector organisation, Scottish Enterprise has a legal obligation to comply with these rules.
The rules currently cover most commissions over the following values (excluding VAT): -
- Goods and Services: £139,893
- Works (Construction): £3,497,313
Where these rules apply, tender opportunities will be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Communities, as well as on the Public Contracts Scotland website. We may also advertise these opportunities in national newspapers and trade journals.
Framework agreements
For certain requirements we may select suppliers through existing framework agreements.
A framework agreement is an arrangement between Scottish Enterprise and selected suppliers for the delivery of specific goods or services over a set period of time.
These agreements allow us to gain better value for money through aggregation of demand, simplifying the commissioning process for goods and services where we have repetitive/frequent requirements, and ensure that we engage with a manageable number of suppliers for the purpose of monitoring of supplier performance.
These frameworks have been set up using a competitive tendering process, and additional suppliers may not join a framework during its validity.
We always seek to ensure that, as far as is possible, the frameworks we set up do not discriminate against Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME’s). This not only assists these organisations to successfully win contracts with Scottish Enterprise, but also ensures that we approach the widest marketplace possible to get the best value for money solutions.
We publish a list of suppliers who currently have framework agreements with Scottish Enterprise. This will assist those who wish to market their services to these organisations.
We also use a number of other framework agreements available to the wider public sector, such as a number of those established by the Office of Government Commerce.
Where we do not have a framework agreement in place which covers a particular requirement, we will always seek competitive quotations or tenders, unless there are overriding business reasons for not doing so.
Contact the Scottish Enterprise procurement team
For more information on our processes and procedures, email philip.martin@scotent.co.uk or call Phil Martin, Director of Procurement on 0141 228 2233.