Here is a step-by-step guide to purchasing through the process:
1. Decide if a direct appointment can be made
If one supplier can be identified as providing best value for money then a proposal can be requested from and an order be placed with that supplier directly without Further Competition.
2. Capability Assessment to short-list (optional)
You can choose whether to do an initial capability assessment to refine/shorten the list of suppliers that you Invite to Quote (ITQ Short List). The Capability Assessment provides suppliers the opportunity to deselect themselves from any future ITQ based on their own specific capabilities or resources available.
Capability Assessments can take the form of a brief question to suppliers a high-level specification. They can include a request for information if you need further information to inform your requirement.
3. Invitation to Quote (ITQ)
You should provide instructions to the invited supplier(s) about how you wish to receive your quotations.
i. Further Competition (if required) - If, after the initial Capability Assessment, there is more than one ‘capable’ supplier then, as part of the ITQ process, you can run a Further Competition to assess and select the best supplier for the project.
ii. The format of the quotation can be very informal (e.g. a letter with fees) or more structured (e.g. a proposal asking for method statements, resources, CVs as well as fees); this is at your discretion, as appropriate to the nature and complexity of the project and whether there will be a Further Competition between more than one supplier. However, you should take the opportunity at this stage to include any additional, alternative or service specific special clauses that are provided as options within the framework as these help inform a supplier’s final proposal and quote
If there is a need to clarify the proposals in order to choose between suppliers, you may choose to hold an interview/presentation with some or all of the suppliers that have submitted an ITQ.
iii. Pricing – Quotations can be priced on a fixed price or a day rate basis (or as a combination of both) depending on the software and services required; Capita Software Services offers discounts and lump sum and fixed fee options for certain types of projects.
iv. The quotations can be submitted via the Government Procurement Service’s website or directly to you (hard copy and/or digital).
v. Suppliers are usually requested to submit their quotations within two to eight weeks, depending on the format, complexity of requirement and level of information required.
4. Appointment
You should notify all suppliers that participated in the ITQ of the results and provide some feedback on their relative performance.
Whether a further competition has been run or not, an order should be placed to confirm the services required.
Government Procurement Service supplies template order forms for each framework on their website and these can be helpful as they highlight additional, alternative clauses and service specific Special Terms that customers may want to consider.
You may use your own order forms if you wish as long as you clearly identify the order as using the Government Procurement Service framework terms and conditions.
5. Contracting
A number of Government Procurement Service’s framework agreements include a schedule with a standard form of contract known as the ‘model contract’ – Software Application Solutions is one of these.
When placing an order, you have the option of asking the supplier either to send you a completed contract which incorporates your order details or to confirm to you that your order has been accepted and that the terms of the Model Contract for Framework will apply.
Model contracts can be viewed and downloaded by customers from the Government Procurement Service’s website (note that you need to be logged in to their website to pick up the model contracts).
6. Government Procurement Service reporting
It is the responsibility of the chosen supplier to notify the Government Procurement Service of any new commissions fees); via monthly management information returns performance.