Procurement and tenders
Every year, we spend money on a range of goods and services and we’re committed to getting the maximum benefit for every pound we spend. We work hard to use our resources in the best way possible way and to deliver our services at a reasonable cost.
Value for money doesn’t mean we’ll always buy the cheapest product or service but means we will weigh up both quality and cost when deciding what we buy and from where.
We follow different processes when we buy goods and services to get the best value for money. Through an open and transparent procurement policy, Berneslai Homes offers all suppliers, regardless of their size, the opportunity to bid on current and future opportunities. We advertise our tenders and contracts using the YorTender contracts register.
To get best value for money we buy some of our services from our parent council Barnsley Council, and we also buy from frameworks available through different organisations that we’re members of. We’re proud of our quick payment performance for our contractors.
If there isn’t an existing contract in place, we’ll follow different rules to buy the goods, services or works dependent on the value of the contract.
We offer the opportunity for all suppliers to obtain feedback if they are not successful in their bid for work.
Information for suppliers
For expenditure under £100,000, where there is no in-house provider or framework or existing contract, we go through the following procedures:
Total contract value and procedure:
- Under £10,000 = at least one quotation that represents value for money.
- Over £10,000; under £100,000 = obtain a minimum of three written competitive quotations.
- Over £100,000 = a full competitive tendering process is carried out
However, if what we want to purchase is very complex or difficult to describe, for example where we’re buying a bespoke service, we may seek tenders rather than quotes. We’ll invite tender for all expenditure over £100,000.
Berneslai Homes will also seek to use suppliers that may already be on approved lists such as:
- Government Procurement Service
- Procurement for Housing
- Efficiency North
- Northern Housing Consortium
- National Housing Federation
- Yorkshire Purchasing organisation
Standard Terms and Conditions for the supply of goods and services apply to our orders except where contracts have been awarded against tender or quotation exercises which may have their own specific terms and conditions in addition to these.
Through our procurement strategy and value for money strategy, Berneslai Homes seeks to achieve value for money whilst continuing to build and maintain quality homes and effective partnerships.
Our procurement strategy provides a top level view of how we approach the procurement process. You can download our Procurement Strategy here.
We also have a contract and framework list so you can see the types of goods and service we buy. Low value, one-off items are not on this list so it’s still worth registering.
This contract register information tells your organisation what we buy, how much we spend, and with who. It also includes a contact name should you wish to find out more details about any specific contracts. The register may also be of benefit to local companies in identifying business opportunities either as a main contractor or as a supplier / sub-contractor within the supply chain.
If your company decides to respond to an advertisement and express an interest in bidding for Berneslai Homes work, here are some tips to bear in mind.
The tender process will either be an ‘open’ process where tender documents are sent to all applicants, or a ‘restricted’ (2-stage) process, where only short-listed tenderers are invited to submit tenders.
The shortlist is compiled by assessing tenderers against a set of pre-determined criteria, based on evidence of economic and financial standing, technical capacity and ability, equal opportunities, environmental and health and safety policies, previous experience, and references.
Tenders are then issued to suppliers on the shortlist.
Financial status checking
We will check your organisation’s financial suitability for a contract by requesting copies of accounts for the previous three years. If you can’t provide the information because you’re a newly formed company or a small business, you’ll be asked to provide a statement of the organisation’s cash flow forecast for the current year and a bank letter outlining the current cash flow and credit facility position.
Insurance
Our insurance requirements are for the contractor to be covered by employer’s liability insurance to the value of £10 million and public liability insurance to the value of £5 million. Changes to these limits or additional insurance requirements such as professional indemnity insurance will be specified at the time of the tender.
Social Value Act
The Social Value Act came into force from January 2013 and its aim is to embed social value into commissioning and procurement practice. Under the Act, we are required to consider how the services we commission and procure might improve the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing of the area.
References
You’ll be asked to provide the names of up to three referees, specific to the type of tender being applied for, following which references will be sought checking your organisation’s experience and views of the standard of service provided.
Equal Opportunities Policy
Berneslai Homes is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all people irrespective of sex, age, race, or disability. We are keen to ensure that our suppliers abide by the law and are working to best practice in this area. All suppliers, as part of the tender process, will therefore be required to provide evidence that they have equal opportunities policies in place and are committed to them.
Environmental Policy
Berneslai Homes is committed to using the resources entrusted to it to ensure best value for money at the least possible cost to the environment. As part of this commitment to the environment, our procurement policy will, wherever practicable, focus on:
- Specifying less environmentally damaging products
- Promoting greater use of renewable sources
- Encouraging suppliers to use environmentally friendly practices throughout the production process
When applying for certain contracts, you may be requested to supply evidence to your practices and procedures as they relate to the environment.
CHAS registration
It’s essential on many contracts that contractors are certified under the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS).
If you don’t have certification or fail to obtain it during the tender process, then your company will not be awarded the contract. The scheme has over 100 members including a variety of local authorities and public organisations and some private sector bodies from all over the country. Once a contractor has gained accreditation, they can use it to apply for contracts with other bodies that are also part of the scheme without submitting any further health and safety documentation while their accreditation is valid.
Further information can be obtained from the CHAS website.
Awarding contracts
Berneslai Homes aims to award contracts to the contractor/ supplier who offers the most economically advantageous tender based on a combination of price and quality. The contract award criteria will be set out in the tender documents.
Berneslai Homes is committed to providing customers with an efficient, high quality service. We expect our employees and our contractors to adhere to the practices and guidelines set out in our Code of Conduct for contractors.
The Code of Conduct is intended to guide contractors on the standard expected by Berneslai Homes and inform customers of our commitment to providing a high quality and professional service. At all times we will treat our customers, colleagues, and partners with courtesy and respect. Berneslai Homes believes everyone has the right to fair and equal treatment.
We are committed to ensuring that all people are treated fairly and without unlawful discrimination.
Register with YORtender
Local authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber region have a combined external spend of some £4.5 billion per annum. The region has a single procurement strategy, under the leadership of YORprocure, which makes sure we have best practice procurement across the region, delivering tangible benefits and promoting collaborative working with colleagues and suppliers.
YORtender is used to advertise procurement opportunities available from Berneslai Homes. In general, this will be used for all opportunities valued above £10,000 except where we choose to buy from a consortium and existing framework.
Registered contractors and suppliers will be able to download key documents for opportunities that they wish to pursue and return these electronically. This includes pre-qualification questionnaires and tender and quotation documents. Berneslai Homes aims to make the system the main way in which we advertise opportunities to potential suppliers. Email alerts will provide information on forthcoming opportunities.
YORtender provides:
- a single procurement approach across the region
- a means to share, co-ordinate and collaborate on procurement exercises
- the ability to work smarter and to reduce procurement lead times
- a platform where suppliers can register their capabilities and interests in opportunities
- a platform where suppliers receive email alerts of opportunities
- immediate access to current opportunities
Registering your supplier details on YORtender is free of charge and is open to any organisation with an interest in providing supplies, services or works to us and the other authorities across the Yorkshire and Humber region.
The registration process is simple. You just need to set up a profile on YORtender, covering:
- Company name
- Address
- Contact details (email, telephone, and fax)
- Key individual contact(s)
- Categories of activity
- An indication of which authorities the company has an interest in trading with
Once you’ve registered your company on YORtender, you can update your profile as and when required, identify information on existing contracts, and search current tendering opportunities.
To register free to promote your business and to start receiving email alerts, visit the YORtender Portal.
Your organisation may already be registered if you have used any EU-Supply.com tender portals in the past and if this is the case we would encourage you to check your organisation profile is accurate with suitable contact details included.
As with the current YORtender e-procurement portal, access is free of charge and a helpdesk link is available within the portal to provide support if required.