Supplier Registration Service for UK Government – Simplifying Tendering

2 minutes of reading

A Supplier Registration platform was launched by The Cabinet Office in March 2013. The aim was to simplify the tendering process for public sector contracts

The Supplier Registration Service for Government

Previously, to bid for public sector and government contracts, suppliers had to register on many different systems to view, access and tender for business opportunities. This makes tendering more difficult – increasing time and costs.

The new centralised system aims make bidding for government and public sector opportunities easier and cheaper. The Single Supplier Registration enables suppliers to register just once to gain access to a range of contracts.

Full details at the Cabinet Office.

The new Single Supplier Registration platform was available from April 2013 for the health sector (replacing the existing SID4health system) and was extended across other sectors in the following months.

…

Supplier Registration Service for UK Government – Simplifying TenderingRead More »

Supplier Registration Service for UK Government – Simplifying Tendering Read More »

Badly Written Tender Documents

2 minutes of reading

Do you ever wonder why some Invitation to Tender documents are so poor?

Badly Written Tender Documents

Maybe you think that ALL tenders are bad! That’s understandable. However, decisions on large purchases need to taken with care; that is why organisations use the tendering process. Furthermore, the public sector must follow rules which can make some tenders more complicated.

Nevertheless, none of that excuses:

  • Confusing / incorrect specifications
  • Too much detail requested
  • Irrelevant or overly complex questions
  • Overlapping or repeated questions – asking the same things over again
  • Excessively complicated instructions / procedures

Why are Some Tenders Written so Badly?

It’s clear that some ITTs are not thought out properly. There can be many reasons for this:

…

Badly Written Tender DocumentsRead More »

Badly Written Tender Documents Read More »

The Alternative Bid and Tendering

3 minutes of reading

The alternative bid is a very powerful tool in winning tenders but it is often overlooked. Here is a quick guide on how it can increase your chances of tendering success.

The Alternative Bid and Tendering

What is an Alternative Bid?

In simple terms, it means offering something different to what is being asked for in the invitation to tender (ITT). For example, an ITT specifies using a particular brand of product, the alternative bid can be to offer different brand.

When to Use an Alternative Bid

Use only when there is a benefit to the customer. If the ITT specifies using Brand X but you are certain that using Brand Y would save them money, time or provide some other benefit then it would be good to offer an alternative using Brand Y.

Other examples of alternative bids include:

…

The Alternative Bid and TenderingRead More »

The Alternative Bid and Tendering Read More »

Electronic Tendering and e-Tenders – Good or Bad?

6 minutes of reading

Electronic Tendering is now the most popular method of tendering. On the face of it, e-tenders make sense as they give everyone a clear format to follow, make submission easier and help to reduce paper. Of course, some tenders are just poorly managed. But I talk to clients and tender consultants and their experience reflects my own… e-tenders range from excellent to diabolical!

Electronic Tendering and E-Tenders – Good or Bad?

What is Electronic Tendering?

Years ago, tender documents were posted to you to complete. You then posted your completed submission. If you didn’t trust the post, you would courier or hand-deliver it. As email and high-speed internet has become more widespread, most tenders are emailed to you or are online.

All bigger public sector tenders are now online. You access and submit them via a web portal. Clarification questions are all online too.

Private sector will often use email to send ITTs and receive submissions.

What’s Great About e-Tenders

Without doubt, the easiest electronic tendering method involves PDFs, Word and Excel documents.

On a public sector web portal, you create an account online which has the company’s basic details. Once you have identified a suitable opportunity, you express interest online. You can then download the ITT documents (normally PDFs, Word and Excel). The documents that you need to complete are usually Word for the quality response, SQ, form of tender etc. Pricing will be in Excel or Word depending on the complexity.

…

Electronic Tendering and e-Tenders – Good or Bad?Read More »

Electronic Tendering and e-Tenders – Good or Bad? Read More »

Scroll to Top