How to apply for advertised tenders
Liverpool City Council advertises its tenders in a number of publications (see section "How to find out about our contracts").
The Council's advertisements state what is required from potential tenderers and invites applications for consideration.
If your organisation would like to be considered for a particular contract you must follow the application instructions detailed in the advertisement.
Open Tendering
The Council uses an open tendering procedure occasionally for lower value contracts (less than £154,000).
This means that any interested organisation can tender for the contract, without having to first go through an application process. References are usually requested.
You will be asked to submit an expression of interest for the contract, but you will automatically be invited to submit a tender. The information from you and your referees will then be considered at the same time as your tender bid.
Restricted Tendering
The advert will ask you to contact the Procurement Support Unit to express your interest and request a Pre-Qualification questionnaire.
You must complete the questionnaire and return it within the specified timescale to be considered.
Your application is assessed in the following areas:
Organisation
You are asked basic information about your organisation
Technical
You are asked to provide technical information to assess your organisation's suitability to carry out the works, services or supply of goods to the Council's satisfaction. This section includes referee details
Implementation
You are asked to state your organisations approach to working in partnership, resourcing of the contract and methodology for quality assuring the contract to be undertaken
Financial
You are asked to submit audited accounts and annual reports for the last 3 years.
Group or Holding Company accounts are not acceptable.
If you do not have audited accounts you can still apply, however without accounts, tendering opportunities will be limited.
Race Relations Matters & Equal Opportunities
Under the terms of The Race Relations Act, local authorities are required to ensure that whilst carrying out their functions they take account of the need to eliminate racial discrimination, & to promote equality and good race relations.
Any organisation undertaking work for, or delivering a service to or on behalf of Liverpool City Council is obliged to deliver an effective, appropriate service fairly and without unlawful discrimination.
This section asks for you to submit your organisations policy in this respect for approval.
Health and Safety
You are asked questions relating to your health and safety arrangements, and to submit your policy for approval.
Professional Matters
You are asked questions about criminal offences relating to the professional conduct of your business, legal proceedings taken against you by another Local Authority, and any potential conflict of interest.
Environmental Matters
If your organisation has an environmental policy you are asked to submit it with your application. If you do not have such a policy it will not prevent you from being accepted, but you may be asked to provide further evidence to satisfy the Council that your organisation takes its commitment to protecting the environment seriously.
The Council will decide, from the information given by you and your referees whether you will be invited to submit a full tender for the contract advertised. You will then be contacted and formally requested to submit a tender for the contract.
Tender Opening and Contract Award
Returned tender documents are opened on a designated date and time by an officer from Legal Services, a representative of the Procurement Support Unit and occasionally the client for whom the contract is being tendered. The bids are considered and the contract is awarded.
You will receive written notification as to whether your bid was successful or not.
Feedback
If your bid was unsuccessful you will be offered the opportunity of a telephone or written debriefing, on receipt of a formal request for such.
The Council may withhold information which could prejudice legitimate commercial concerns, or might be contrary to the public interest. However within those constraints we will seek to be as frank and helpful as possible.