Public Procurement Training Tender Portals Made Easy 2013

1. Public Procurement Training Tender Portals Made Easy 2013

2. Agenda: Tender Portals Made Easy • Introduction, • Workshop and speaker introduction, housekeeping and H&S issues. Interactive voting to establish participant understanding of portals and their usage • An Overview of Tender Portals, • Why using tender portals is important and how they came to where they are today, and how to use they efficiently (filtering searches using and understanding NUTS and CPV codes • E-Tendering Systems, • What systems are out there, what different facilities they offer the supplier, and how they can overlap. Particular mention of SIMAP and how it dovetails into PCS . • Registering and Updating Systems, • The importance of understanding what is available to the supplier on a portal, who they are selling to on the portal and how to keep the information up to date • PCS Representative, • Speaker from PCS to explain how the buyer side of the tendering equation has benefitted from the use of tender portals • Coffee Break, • Public Contract Scotland Portal, • On-line walk through, introducing PCS, what the portal provides to buyers and suppliers, how the system dovetails with OJEU for above threshold projects. • Supplier Finder, • How buyers "Find" suppliers, based on the suppliers profiles (Importance of Registering and Updating Supplier Profile(s)) • Quick Quotes, • Explanation of this facility for buyers to go out to the market to source small value goods or services, • PCS-T, • the new Tender management portal as part of the PCS offering including : e-Tendering, e-Evaluation and e-Auctions • Workshop Closeout.

3. Procurement Training: Level 1,2 and 3 1.1 1.2 1.3 Level 1 1.1 Is the Public Sector For You? 1.2 Tender Portals Made Easy 1.3 Policy Training Introductory Training Level 2 graduates can progress to 3.2 and 3.3 without the requirement, unless a refresher is required to attend 3.1. Level 3 workshops are modular – participants are not required but are encouraged to attend all three in the order presented for maximum benefit. Find It, Win It, Keep It 2.1 2.2 “New” Bidders Level 2 Find It, Win It, Keep It is intended for business who may be new to public tendering or have some experience but struggle to prequalify or if they do prequalify struggle to win tenders. 3.1 3.2 3.3 Experienced Bidders Level 3 3.1 Maximise your Tender Score 3.2 Value Add and Innovation 3.3 Expanding Your Tender Horizons Level 3 Advanced Procurement Training is more suitable for companies who have experience of bidding for public tenders and are regular and successful bidders who want to improve their bidding performance or number of tenders they bid for.

4. Level 1, 2 & 3 Public Procurement Training • The Supplier Development Programme offers three levels of procurement training,

5. Introduction: What you need to know • What do we know? • Jargon Buster, • Article 22 – “Information has to be generally available”, • Size of the markets (UK / EU Public Sector), • High Value Contracts, • Expanding your market share, • Other sources of Public Procurement training.

6. What you will take away from the workshop • What portals are best for my business / organisation, • The different procurement procedures, • How am I representing my company / organisation through my profile(s), • Are my profile(s) up to date? • Understand the types of portals that are available, • Understand what information you can get from the portals, • Understand what information you will have to provide to, and maintain in, the portals.

7. Jargon Buster

8. SME Share of Public Tenders • EU wide 42% of value of tenders (64% of the number of contracts), • Does not include subcontracts to SMEs, • UK figures are 35% and 31%, • Figures only relate to above threshold contracts. • A Scottish Success Story • Scottish Public Sector spend £8 Billion, • Approximately 750 purchasing bodies, • 21,000 contracts advertised on PCS since June 2008, including 5,000 OJEU, 5000 sub-threshold and 8,000 Quick Quotes, • Over 6,200 SMEs have been awarded contracts, • 45% of total public sector spend is with SMEs, • Value of spend with SMEs is approximately £3.5 Billion, • 75% of contracts awarded through PCS are to SMEs, • 60% of contracts are awarded to Scottish based SMEs. Source: European Code of Best Practice Facilitating Access by SMEs to Public Procurement Contracts

9. Introduction: Evolution of Public Procurement Historically dissemination of information was difficult, EU Legislation including competition and procurement policy to increase openness and transparency, The advent of the internet changed everything. The Journal is now online and information is generally available to everyone. Providing equality of access and opportunity. The Official Journal came into being, but it was still, literally a printed journal, so could be quite out of date and was also difficult to share, As public procurement developed there was still a “club” element, where it was more a case of “Who” you knew rather than what you knew,

10. Tender Value Triangle

11. The OJEU financial thresholds are defined and valid for a two year period… • The EC Procurement Rules apply to public authorities (including, amongst others, government departments, local authorities and NHS Authorities and Trusts) and certain utility companies operating in the Energy, Water, Transport and Telecoms sectors. The rules set out detailed procedures, Open, Restricted and Negotiated for the award of contracts whose value equals or exceeds specific thresholds. Central Government Thresholds are lower than Local Government. * Central Government ** Local Government

12. Sustainable Procurement Bill • The review will set out to help ensure that the construction sector, including industry and its public sector clients: • achieves efficiency improvements through opportunities for collaboration where appropriate, • raises its performance through improvements to capability, procurement practice and project assurance, • is able to identify and quickly adopt emerging best practice and that practices are standardised wherever possible, • adopts good practice in relation to sustainability, including life cycle costing and reduced carbon and energy consumption, • manages common/major contractors and projects effectively, • makes best use of available construction procurement/project skills, and • makes best use of new and emerging innovations in techniques, technology and materials (eg Building Information Modelling).

13. Principles of OJEU Directives • All potential contracts, the values of which singularly or cumulatively exceed specified financial thresholds, must be advertised throughout the European Union, so that all interested parties in member states have an equal opportunity to submit tenders, • All enquiries must receive equal treatment in order to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of the nationality of the contractor or the origin of goods / services, • All tendering and award procedures must involve the application of objective criteria.

14. Public Procurement

15. Tender Procedures • Open, • Restricted, • Negotiated, • Competitive Dialogue.

16. The Restricted Procedure Min 37 days (30 if electronic) Min 40 days (35 if electronic) Stage 0 Stage 1: PQQ Stage 2: ITT Standstill Formalise ITT, Spec and T&C’s Invite successful candidates to tender Candidate briefing Clarifications process Tenders received ITT evaluation panel Presentations Identify successful candidate(s) Award contract Publish Contract Notice Set up Communications Log Manage enquiries and responses Send weekly Communications Log Advise changes and milestones to interested parties Close PQQ PQQ report Evaluate PQQ report and identify candidates for ITT Manage unsuccessful Define requirements Translate into Spec Develop Sourcing Strategy Select Procurement procedure Identify prequalification criteria PQQ website (tender specific) Set up dedicated email address Information Pack Manage unsuccessful Implement standstill period Contract Award Notice

18. Expanding your market share Type: (Goods, Works, or Services) • If you currently only sell one item / service to one type of client in one geographical area your market place is limited and constrained, • You can expand your business by considering: • Existing customer in a new place, • New customer in same place, • New customer in a new “sector”, • New customer in a new place, • Expand into new type. Place: (England, France etc) Sectors: (Local Authorities, Health Serviceetc)

19. E-Tendering Portals • Supra National: • TED (Over threshold tenders), • National: • PCS (Under and over threshold tenders), • PCS-T, • Regional: • Scotland Excel, • NEPO, • Sector Specific Portals: • NHS Supply Chain, • Scottish Police Authority, • Types of Tender Portals: • Free vs Subscription based. UK Portals England Scotland SIMAP Contract Finder PCS SIMAP SIMAP • Other National Portals • France • Germany • Italy…

20. An Overview of Tender Portals • Historically complex, • Regulation has made the process open and transparent, • You can now access the opportunities available, • There will be far more competition for each opportunity, • Use the filtering systems on the portals to refine the opportunities available, • you can do it yourself or subscribe to a service, • Different portals hosting the same opportunities.

22. Its important to be on the right portals to maximise relevant opportunities but there can be lots of duplication… • Supra National Portals • http://www.ted.europa.eu • National Portals (for central and local Government) • http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/ • http://www.scotland-excel.org.uk/home/WhatWeDo/StrategicProcurement/ContractRegister.aspx • http://www.nhsscotlandprocurement.scot.nhs.uk • http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/ • Project or Event based Portals • https://www.competefor.com/business/login.jsp • http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/businessportal • Institutional Portals (Health and Education) • https://www.supplying2nhs.com • http://www.tendernotificationservice.co.uk/ • Emergency Services • https://www.bluelight.gov.uk • Local Authorities • http://www.falkirk.gov.uk/ and follow the Purchasing link to Public Contracts Scotland as above – and all other Scottish local authorities. • Commercial Portals • http://www.millstreamassociates.co.uk/Services/TendersDirect.aspx • http://www.bipsolutions.com/BusinessIntelligence/ContractInformation/

23. Supplier Development Programme • www.sdpscotland.co.uk

24. Scottish Government Sites • The Supplier Journey • http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Procurement/Selling/SupplierJourney • Explains step by step what suppliers and potential suppliers need to do / know to be successful in the procurement arena • The Procurement Journey • http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Procurement/buyer-information/spdlowlevel • Explains the steps a buyer has to go through to compete a tender exercise • Thinking like a buyer will help you be a better supplier

25. Registering on and updating your portal profile(s) • What information you need to have when you register your information on tender portals, • What information you will need to review, • How often you will have to review the information, • What are the benefits of registering on the various portals.

26. Public Contracts Scotland • Public Contract Scotland, • PCS Portal from the Scottish Government and Buyer perspectives, • Reinforce that Small businesses can and do win business through PCS, it is not just for the big boys, • Video case study.

27. PCS Features • Alerts, • Expressing an Interest, • Interest List, • Downloading Documents, • Supplier Finder, • Quick Quotes, • Category Codes (CPV) / Area (NUTS) Codes, • Authority Profiles, • Previous / Current / Future Tenders, • Clarifications, • Workspace, • Tender Postbox.

28. Quick Quote Checklist • You need to be in it to win it, • Facility for purchasers to ask suitably competent suppliers for a Quick quote for low value contracts, • Reasonably easy low overhead way to get you foot in the public procurement door, • Ties back to the supplier profile, • Step by step to getting work through QQ, • Create Profile, • Business Description, • Keywords (6), which can and should be reviewed and changed as required, • Relevant and accurate to your capabilities, • Market and sell your business as “Quick Quotes Ready”.

29. PCS – T Portal • Explanation of what the PCS-T portal offers over and above the PCS portal, • Your extended profile, • Once completed, then periodically reviewed, • Pre-populates PQQ forms for you based on profile, • Access to all your PQQ / ITT information in one dashboard, • Keep track of deadlines etc. – never miss an opportunity.