The Scottish Government

Request for Suppier Information - Supplier Initiatives - Supplier Charter - Advertising Portal
- Single Point of Enquiry - Competitive Supply Base - Electronic Tendering - SMEs & Social Economy - FAQs

As part of the strategy development process for each category area, Procurement Scotland will seek views and information from the market place through a 'Request for Supplier Information'. This information will be utilised in developing the procurement strategy for national contract arrangements. No information provided under this request will be used to make judgements regarding supplier performance, capacity or capability under any future procurement processes.

There are currently no category areas inviting suppliers to respond to a Request for Supplier Information.

Supplier Initiatives for all Category A commodities

Suppliers have an opportunity to help shape the future of procurement and extend business across the public sector. There are opportunities to:

• Develop and/or extend relationships across the public sector at a national level.
• Reduce costs through efficient processes and comprehensive contract management.
• Influence good practice dissemination and establish standard processes.

Suppliers do not have to wait for tender opportunities to be advertised. They are invited to approach Procurement Scotland with new ideas or improvements to procurement practice that will enable better deals for the whole public sector.

To ensure equality and transparency, Procurement Scotland fully endorses and supports the Scottish Government's Suppliers Charter. This details the policies and procedures promoted by the Public Procurement Reform Programme with respect to supporting all current and potential suppliers.

Procurement Scotland and the whole Scottish procurement community are committed to ensuring that no business is unfairly disadvantaged in looking to access public sector contract opportunities. We will advertise all contract opportunities through the Public Contracts Scotland website.

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The Single Point of Enquiry (SPoE) has been set up to provide suppliers to the public sector with an impartial point of contact where they can ask for advice or raise concerns about public procurement practices in Scotland. Note that suppliers' issues should, in the first instance, be discussed directly with the relevant buying organisation, thereafter to Procurement Scotland regarding Cat A issues. Unresolved issues can then be raised through the SPoE. Alternatively, suppliers may approach the SPoE directly, on a confidential basis, at any stage:

spoeprocurement@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney said: "I am determined that procurement reform will deliver results, and this is a positive and welcome step. It will give suppliers, and their business organisations, a new channel to seek advice or register their concerns regarding public procurement practices. This will undoubtedly lead to improvements and better standards in procurement across the public sector."
The new service offers an informal 'honest broker' channel to improve the interface between suppliers and buyers.

Welcoming the new service, CBI Scotland's Director, Iain McMillan, said: "This 'one-stop-shop' is a welcome move to strengthen public procurement and the voice of business within it, raising standards across the public sector and ensuring that best practices become common practice throughout. This ought to benefit public procurers, private sector suppliers, and taxpayers alike. The size and scope of Scotland's public sector highlights how public procurement is not just an issue about value for money and efficiency in public services, but that it goes right to the heart of the debate about growing our economy

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Please review Competive Supply Base to find out about the initiatives aimed at maximising competition of public procurement processes.

Please review Electronic tendering to find out how to utilise the electronic tendering system for completion of Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs) and Invitations To Tender (ITTs).

From early 2004, the Scottish Government and other parts of the public sector in Scotland have engaged with business organisations to improve the fairness and transparency of public sector procurement in Scotland. These meetings were principally directed at addressing "Barriers to Business" as perceived by Small and Medium Enterprises. They resulted in he publication of two key documents: The Suppliers' Charter , and the Qualification Questionnaire.

Publication of the "Review of Public Procurement in Scotland" by John McClelland in March 2006 reinforced the initiatives proposed by the SME forum. The aim is to ensure that, wherever possible and, consistent with the need to secure value for money, suitably qualified SMEs have the opportunity to compete for public sector business.

Procurement Scotland is a strong supporter of the Suppliers Charter and will implement its proposals in full.

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions to find out answers to the most popular questions on selling to the Scottish Government.

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