What are the procedures for inviting tenders? How long will it take?
There are a number of different tender procedures and the timeframes for each will depend on how complex the procurement is. Open tender Where all suppliers who request tender documentation in response to advertisements will be invited to submit a tender. There is no pre-qualification questionnaire or short-listing stage prior to invitation to tender, although the Council may lay down minimum standards of suitability, it must send out the contract documents to anyone who asks for them. This information is requested as part of the tender itself. The open tender procedure is normally only used where the known market place is limited, and the Council needs to seek out extra interest, or where the timetable does not allow the two stage restricted tender procedure to be followed. Restricted tender Where Suppliers respond to advertisements expressing an interest in tendering and are required to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire to show that they have sufficient experience and resour
