Tag: procurement

Public Sector Round-Up 16.04.21

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Weekly UK tender publishing update

952

619

333

Total UK
Tenders		Low Value
Tenders		High Value
Tenders

123

54

571
Frameworks
or DPS 		Prior Information
Notices		High Value
Award Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 09.04.21 & 15.04.21

In the news this week

Nine in ten prescriptions now fulfilled electronically
89% of NHS prescriptions are now fulfilled via the Electronic Prescription Service. This is a 29% increase in the number of electronic prescriptions since 2019.
The government is committed to transforming and upgrading the NHS through digital solutions – with significant funding allocated to AI, record digitisation, e-scheduling and many other solutions. To keep up to date with all NHS tech tenders, set-up alerts with Tenders Direct.

Proposed cycling and walking routes to be delivered alongside the Putney Road link road scheme
£2.9m cycling and pedestrian facilities are planned to be delivered at the same time as a new £5m link road to connect Putney Road West to Aylestone Road in Leicester City. The active travel facilities will be introduced as part of the city’s Connecting Leicester programme, and are hoped to be introduced alongside the roadworks to avoid future disruption.
Active travel networks are incredibly popular right now, and you can discover similar opportunities in your area by using our location filters.

Potholed road to Penistone tip will get overdue repair as part of £15m spend
More than £2m of the cash will be used to fix potholes and resurface roads, £1m will be used to tackle pollution, road safety and congestion, and £1.7m will be spent on replacing 1,000 street lights.

Dover District Council secures £3.2 million funding to connect high street and waterfront
A creative space will be created in the thoroughfare between the waterfront and town centre, forming part of a mixed-use development that will also include seven residential units.

We have a new training course

This course is perfect for individuals who are comfortable with the tendering process but are looking to understand how to maximise their scores on social value answers in tendering.

Social value answers in tenders are increasingly being allocated higher weightings, and this course will help you improve your answers by helping you achieve the following:

◆ Understand what buying authorities mean by ‘social value’
◆ Learn why social value is included in tenders
◆ Understand how to measure and deliver social value
◆ Understand the different ways in which social value can be assessed in tenders
◆ Understand how to best answer social value questions

Thursday 24 June | 13:00 – 16:30 | Full course details

Top high value contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-Walthamstow: Repair and maintenance services
Short description: Conservation, ecology and education activities for the Walthamstow Wetlands (WW) project – as well as overall management of visitor engagement and management of leased premises on site.
Published By: London Borough of Waltham Forest
Date Published: 15 April 2021
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £2,853,489.00
Number of tenders received: 2 (of which were SMEs: 1)
Contractors: London Wildlife Trust
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-London: Construction work
Short description: The Project comprises the demolition of the existing YMCA building and site clearance and remediation followed by the design and construction of a new mixed use 8-storey YMCA development.
Published By: Martin Arnold Ltd. (Acting on behalf of YMCA St Paul’s Group)
Date Published: 15 April 2021
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £16,728,066.69
Number of tenders received: 5
Contractors: Neilcott Construction Limited
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Lincoln: Construction work
Short description: Provision of Superfast broadband to areas of Lincolnshire not currently served with Superfast Broadband
Published by: Lincolnshire County Council
Date Published: 12 April 2021
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £3,085,000.00
Number of tenders received: 1 (Of which are SMEs: 1)
Contractors: Quickline Communications Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Tenders range from the simple (not often!) to the very complex. Public sector tenders of course do have particular procedures that they follow. For inexperienced bidders, understanding the process and making sure the bid is compliant is often the focus. As your knowledge and experience grows the focus will shift from the mechanics of the tender to maximising the quality of your submissions and your win rate. You can ask us whatever burning tendering questions you have and we’ll answer them during our Q&A session in the webinar.

Our webinar will cover:
◆ The most common types of public sector tender processes
◆ How tenders are published and how to access
◆ Reviewing and understanding tenders and their scoring
◆ Evaluating your suitability to bid and making your bid decision

Wednesday 26 May | 13:00 – 13:45 | Register for free

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Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.

For more information about we can help you find and win more work in the public sector, please visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk or call us on 0800 222 9009.

Public Sector Round-Up 12.02.21

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Weekly UK tender publishing update

1,091

744

347

Total UK
Tenders		Low Value
Tenders		High Value
Tenders

106

64

518

Frameworks
or DPS 		Prior Information
Notices		High Value
Award Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 05.02.21 & 11.02.21

In the news this week

New £10 million fund to drive private sector investment in nature
A new environment improvement fund will create numerous opportunities for businesses, by allowing them to seek grants of up to £100,000 or bid for contracts to help local authorities implement their own environmentally friendly projects.
The Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund aims to encourage a range of nature projects across England, with the intent of developing them to a point where they can attract private investment. The aim is to create a pipeline of projects for the private sector to invest in, and develop new funding models that can be replicated elsewhere.

Wales commits to net zero by 2050, but sets out ambitions to get there sooner
The Welsh Government has set out its legal commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but is pushing to make significant improvements by 2030.
Their plan focuses on achieving cleaner air, ending harmful agricultural pollution, moving from fossil fuel extraction and towards green energy, as well as working towards a net zero public sector in Wales by 2030 and making Wales a zero waste nation.
We have seen a lot of projects already in other parts of the UK which aim to reduce environmental impact by replacing windows, improving insulation, adding solar panels and other improvements to cut public sector emissions. With wales making a significant effort for the entire public sector, there will be numerous contract opportunities created as a result.
Our tender search filters allow you to adjust results by region, and by industry. Start searching for opportunities today: www.tendersdirect.co.uk

Voi launches long term scooter rental in West of England
The West of England Combined Authority will be the first place in the UK to offer long-term e-scooter rental, with residents able to keep a Voi vehicle at home for months at a time.
E-scooters are getting a lot of attention as greener and socially distanced forms of transport. The WECA started their e-scooters trials last year, but other regions are looking to run similar projects. This week alone both Rochdale and Colchester provided updates on their own e-scooter trials.

Top high value contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-Preston: Security services
Short description: Manned security service across several business parks to protect the properties on site and prevent unauthorised access to the premises.
Published By: Lancashire County Developments (Property) Ltd
Date Published: 10 February 2021
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £932,755.20
Number of tenders received: 17
Contractors: FGH Security LtdFGH Security Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-London: Cargo handling and storage services
Short description: a multi-supplier framework for the packing and transport of fine art, objects, storage of works, entire exhibitions and exhibition fixtures and fittings.
Published By: The Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London
Date Published: 10 February 2021
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: €3,800,000.00
Number of tenders received: 5
Contractors: MTEC Momart Crown Martinspeed | Constantine
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Weston-Super-Mare: Construction work for highways, roads
Short description: Replacement road over rail bridge at Winterstoke Road, Weston-super-Mare
Published by: North Somerset Council
Date Published: 10 February 2021
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £6,440,664.00
Number of tenders received: 5
Contractors: John Graham Construction Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

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Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.

For more information about we can help you find and win more work in the public sector, please visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk or call us on 0800 222 9009.

Public Sector Round-Up 29.01.21

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Weekly UK tender publishing update

971

629

342

Total UK
Tenders		Low Value
Tenders		High Value
Tenders

123

61

457

Frameworks
or DPS 		Prior Information
Notices		High Value
Award Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 22.01.21 & 28.01.21

In the news this week

This week’s news articles are all focused on taking actions to combat climate change, and significantly reducing emissions by 2030.

Council secures £15m to combat Climate Change in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire County Council will use this funding to deliver several sustainability led projects at a number locations including school buildings, fire stations, libraries and offices. The money will go towards projects including:

◆ an air source heat pump at County Hall
◆ an air handling unit upgrade at Farnham House
◆ mass installation of solar panels at 23 fire stations
◆ energy efficient boiler systems at various schools
◆ improving building insulation

You can find contract opportunities in Hertfordshire, and other UK locations, by using our Tender Search and location filters.

West Berkshire Council announces plans for £10m solar farm
The plan would see more than 45,000 solar panels installed over 75 acres of council-owned land near Grazeley. According to feasibility studies, the solar farm would offset around 30% of the council’s carbon footprint.
Funding for the project will be included in the capital strategy and submitted for council approval on 2 March 2021.

£26.9m investment in carbon savings for County Council buildings and local schools
The green light has been given to projects which will improve the energy efficiency of local schools and council buildings.

◆£6.7 million for the installation of solar panels
◆£20.2 million window replacement programme

Around 370 Hampshire schools and several council buildings are expected to benefit from this funding.

Discover how can help you find and win new business

Top high value contract award notices

Title: UK-Stoke-on-Trent: Health and social work services
Short description: Contract to co-ordinate a single integrated All Age Carer Support Service with a single point of access for adult and young carers from age 5 across Stoke-on-Trent
Published By: Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Date Published: 22 January 2021
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £1,460,000.00
Number of tenders received: 3
Contractors: North Staffs Carers Association
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Stratford: Hot-water boilers
Short description: Framework for the provision of Boilers for London and Quadrant’s self delivered new build projects.
Published By: Torbay Council
Date Published: 26 January 2021
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £1,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 2
Contractors: Baxi Heating UK Ltd | Ideal Boilers Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Leicester: Food, beverages, tobacco and related products
Short description: Framework for the supply of frozen ready meal solutions that shall include complete single portion main meals and desserts and multi-portion meal components, including main and side dishes, desserts and sweet and savoury sauces.
Published by: ESPO
Date Published: 28 January 2021
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £20,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 9 (of which were SMEs: 4)
Contractors: apetito Ltd | BFS Group Limited T/A Bidfood | County Enterprise Foods part of Nottinghamshire County Council | I Care (GB) Ltd | NH Case Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

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Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.

For more information about we can help you find and win more work in the public sector, please visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk or call us on 0800 222 9009.

What is Find a Tender?

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Since 1 January 2021, high value (above threshold) tenders in the UK have been published via the Government’s e-procurement portal, Find a Tender service(FTS). 
 
FTS is the public portal for all high value notices published in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The portal is used by public buyers to advertise contracts, and by suppliers to access these opportunities.

What are high value notices? 

High value notices make up around 34% of all contract opportunities in the UK, with lower value notices making the other 66%. The thresholds which determine if contracts are higher or lower value change biennially, and vary in value for goods, works and services. Details of current thresholds can be found here. 
 
Prior to 1 January 2021, high-value notices were published to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). With the conclusion of Brexit, high-value notices from the UK are no longer advertised on the OJEU. UK business can, however, still bid for applicable high value EU contracts. Further details on the changes introduced with Brexit can be found here. 

What is the best way to search for tenders?

Find a Tender is a portal just for high value UK notices, meaning you cannot use it to access lower value tenders, notices of any value from the ROI, or high value EU notices. For full coverage of high and low value notices across the UK and ROI, as well as applicable OJEU notices – you need Tenders Direct. 
 
Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. With our unique Peer Review Process and tailored business profiles, we can guarantee you regular, timely and relevant business opportunities. 

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.

For more information about we can help you find and win more work in the public sector, please visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk or call us on 0800 222 9009.

Improved public sector opportunities for SMEs

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With no requirements to comply with EU directives for public procurement, the UK Government is able introduce changes to how they procure below threshold goods, works and services.  
 
On 10 December 2020, the Cabinet Office published the Procurement Policy Note (PPN): Reserving Below Threshold Procurements – which outlines how central government buyers are encouraged to reserve low value tenders for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), and suppliers in specific geographical regions from 1 January 2021. 

What does this mean for SMEs?

The introduction of this PPN is aimed at supporting SMEs by making more opportunities available to them, and increasing their chances of securing work with the public sector.

As part of its drive to level up the UK economy, the government is committed to tackling inequality and giving everyone across the country the opportunity to fulfil their potential. An economy with diverse, resilient and innovative supply markets provides the best environment to start and grow a business.

Point 16. Procurement Policy Note – Reserving Below Threshold Procurements

There are two ways that buyers are advised to create tenders which favour SMEs:

Reserving them by supplier location – buyers are able to open tenders which can only be bid on by suppliers located in a specified geographical area. The scope of these tenders can be UK wide or narrowed down by county. Buyers will not be able specify individual nations of the UK.  

Restricting the types of organisations that can bid for the work – buyers are able to specify that only SMEs and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs) are eligible to bid for the work. 

While the PPN applies to central government buyers, the wider public sector is “encouraged to apply the principles” outlined within – meaning as familiarity with these practices grows, so too will UK-led and SME specific opportunities. 

The PPN does not apply to low value tenders involving any provision of goods into Northern Ireland – which remains subject to EU regulations under Northern Ireland Protocol, avoiding a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. 

What are low value tenders?

Low value tenders are those which fall below specific thresholds, which have been identified to prevent discriminatory procurement practices. If buyers wish to reserve low value tenders, the current thresholds which tender values must fall below are:

Supplies & Services
< £122,976 ex VAT

Works
< £4,733,252 ex VAT

The EU thresholds introduced on 1 January 2020 will remain in place until 1 January 2022. Future thresholds will be determined by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) – which the UK has been a member of since 1 January 2021. 

How do I find low value tenders?

There are thousands of portals through which public bodies can publish their notices, and it would take a lot of time and effort to try and locate every opportunity relevant to your business.   
 
Thankfully, Tenders Direct eliminates your need to search for tenders by collating every UK and ROI notice in one place, and alerts you to the tenders relevant to you. Our unique service ensures we are aware of every tender published, and allows us to guarantee that with Tenders Direct – you will never miss a tender again.  

Top 5 bid writing mistakes  
You’ll want to avoid these mistakes to take full advantage of these SME specific opportunities. 

Request a free demo 
See how our system works, and discover the opportunities available for business like yours.

Brexit and Public Procurement 
Read about the other changes introduced with Brexit’s conclusion on 1 January 2021.

Reserving Below Threshold Procurements 
View the full policy procurement note on GOV.UK 

Public Sector Round-Up 27.11.20

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UK tender publishing update

1204

849

355

Total UK
Tenders		Low-Value
Tenders		OJEU
Tenders

123

71

396

Frameworks
or DPS 		Prior Information
Notices		OJEU
Award Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 20.11.20 & 27.11.20

With 1204 tender notices published, this week has one of the highest weekly totals seen this year.

We currently have over 4700 UK live notices, across a range of industries. To see what opportunities have been created for your industry, use our search categories and filters to find opportunities relevant to you.

In the news this week

£10 billion package to build more homes and level up communities
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will receive £10 billion of funding in the next financial year to build more homes and improve communities across England.

  • £7.1 billion National Home Building Fund to build more affordable, sustainable and beautiful homes across England, over the next 4 years.
  • Funding to level up and strengthen communities, including new £4 billion Levelling Up Fund
  • More than £70 million to implement an ambitious package of new laws to improve building safety

The National Home Building Fund aims to shake up the housing market by backing smaller developers, unlocking brownfield land and supporting innovative construction techniques. It is expected that this will create up to 660,000 jobs and around 860,000 homes.


HMRC and Home Office the big winners as spending review commits £600m to ‘fix outdated government IT’
New funding has been announced to bring government technology up to date. The funds will be used to ensure core systems can better support administration by making them more secure, reducing risk of failures and improving efficiency.

  • HMRC has been awarded £268m
  • The Home Office has been awarded £232m
  • The Department for Education will receive £64m
  • The Ministry of Justice will receive £40m

This review is only a one-year stopgap measure, with a full, four-year review due to take place next year. View our Tech categories to see current public sector opportunities, or register to receive alerts relevant to your industry – direct to your inbox.


Manchester council writes to government calling for extra funding for parks
We have seen a lot of articles similar to this one this year, and seen plenty of notices published to improve outdoor spaces across the UK in response to the outbreak.
Developing outdoor spaces can create numerous opportunities for contractors, and it could be worthwhile keeping an eye out for similar stories, developing a relationship with the potential buyers, and staying aware of updates.

Extraordinary notices

Title: UK-St Helens: M&Y Maintenance & Construction Subcontractor Dynamic Purchasing System v2
Short description: A DPS for the provision of sub-contractors to assist with the delivery of a wide range of service including repairs, maintenance, refurbishment and construction. The DPS has been sub-divided into 49 categories; sub-contractors can apply for one or more categories. It is intended that the DPS will run for an initial period of 10 years. 
Published By: Regenda Limited
Date Published: 23 November 2020
Deadline: 15 November 2030
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £461,750,000
View full notice on Tenders Direct


Ask the Experts Q&A: Wednesday 16 December 2020, 1.00 – 1.45PM

Are there specific questions about tendering you would love to have answered?
Join our webinar where we will be taking questions from the floor!

Whether you want to know more about finding the right tenders, or what to do once you’ve found them – our experts will answer any questions you have.
This webinar is totally free of charge, and you can ask your questions when you register or live during the session.

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-Manchester: International payment transfer services
Short description: Manchester Metropolitan University (‘the University’) is seeking to appoint through a competitive tender process, a suitably qualified and experienced supplier to deliver an integrated payment platform and all related payment functionality. 
Published By: Manchester Metropolitan University
Date Published: 20 November 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £2,400,000.00
Number of tenders received: 3
Contractors: Flywire Payments Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Birkenhead: Construction work for buildings relating to health
Short description: The provision of a Health and Wellbeing Centre – approximately 2 200 m2 of accommodation for health and social care services, with a small provision for a commercial opportunity space on the ground floor.
Published By: Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Date Published: 25 November 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £5,329,056.00
Number of tenders received: 4 (Of which were SMEs: 4)
Contractors: Eric Wright Construction Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-London: Construction work for railways and cable transport systems
Short description: The provision of signalling civils works, location case, signal bases and cable route works to support the main signalling project.
Published By: Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd
Date Published: 25 November 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £17,634,009.90
Number of tenders received: 5 (Of which were SMEs: 5)
Contractors: Global Rail Construction
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.

For more information about we can help you find and win more work in the public sector, please visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk or call us on 0800 222 9009.

Public Sector Round-Up 20.11.20

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UK tender publishing update

1144

800

344

Total UK
Tenders		Low-Value
Tenders		OJEU
Tenders

169

68

342

Frameworks
or DPS 		Prior Information
Notices		OJEU
Award Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 13.11.20 & 19.11.20

If you are interested in finding out what the market looks like for your industry, get in touch and we’ll be happy to provide you with a free overview for your business. Alternatively, start looking for opportunities with our tender search tool on www.tendersdirect.co.uk

In the news this week

£175 million more for cycling and walking as research shows public support
Councils across England have been given access to a further £175 million to create safe space for cycling and walking. This news comes as surveys show 8/10 people support measures to reduce traffic in their neighbourhoods.
This funding is part of the £2 billion announced in May to promote more active travel options.
This funding will be used to create numerous opportunities, of all values, across the country. Visit our dedicated Construction tender category on our site to view current opportunities.

£16 million to introduce digital prescribing in hospitals
16 hospitals across England will receive a share of £16 million to introduce electronic prescribing systems, replacing the need for paper prescriptions. These systems are being used to greatly improve efficiency, and since 2018, 216 NHS trusts have adopted these systems. The long term plan is to eliminate paper prescribing across the entire NHS by 2024 – meaning there will continue to be associated Tech opportunities until then.

Extraordinary notices

Title: United Kingdom-Chester: National Framework Agreement for Provision of Sterile Services and Endoscopy Decontamination Facility
Short description: The framework agreement will allow NHS organisations to procure a Supplier who can design, build and equip a SSD and subsequently maintain the facility and its equipment under a managed service contract. Suppliers may provide finance to the NHS organisation for the design, build and equip of the SSD, as well as ongoing provision of appropriate facilities management.
Published By: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Date Published: 18 November 2020
Deadline: 04 January 2021
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £375,000,000.00
View full notice on Tenders Direct

When Brexit concludes at the end of this year, the government’s new e-tender service ‘Find a Tender’ will replace the OJEU in the UK for above threshold tenders.
Find out what this means for finding and winning public contracts in 2021, in our new post Brexit and Public Procurement.

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-London: Pharmaceutical products
Short description: Supply of a range of supportive medicines including end of life, intensive care unit and antibiotics.
Published By: Department of Health and Social Care
Date Published: 16 November 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £791,968.00
Number of tenders received: 1 (Of which were SMEs: 1)
Contractors: Fresenius Kabi Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Sale: Street-lighting maintenance services
Short description: Reactive maintenance.
Published By: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Date Published: 18 November 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £2,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 4
Contractors: Acorn Lighting Services Ltd, Jones Lighting Ltd, SSE Contracting Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Title: United Kingdom-Newport: Postal services
Short description: To print personalised letters containing name, address and a unique reference/serial number for each record/person invited to take apart in the Covid-19 Infection Survey (CIS).
Published By: Office for National Statistics (‘ONS’)
Date Published: 18 November 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £4,500,000.00
Number of tenders received: 1
Contractors: HH Associates Ltd
View full notice on Tenders Direct

Are you winning contracts in the private sector but unsure how to start in the public sector?
Join us for our upcoming free webinar where we will discuss the differences between the two sectors, and how you can start bidding for public contracts.

The topics we will cover are:
◆ How the public sector differs from the private sector
◆ The similarities between tendering in both
◆ How to find public sector opportunities
◆ How to undertake your first public sector tenders

Book your place: Wednesday 25 November 2020, 1.00 to 1.45PM

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.
Visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk to find out more.

Brexit and Public Procurement

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The Brexit transition period concluded on 1 January 2021. This means the UK is no longer a member of the EU, and is now a member of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).

Key public procurement developments to be aware of: 

  • For any procurement started, and not completed before 31 December 2020, procurement regulations that were in place under the EU will still apply until the contract has been awarded. 
  • From 1 January 2021, the new e-tender service ‘Find a Tender’ will replace the Official Journal of the European Union in the UK for above threshold tenders. 
  • The existing UK government portals – Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI – will remain in operation and will be unchanged.   
  • While there will be no immediate changes to procurement policies, from 1 January 2021 the government will have the power to introduce new or temporary legislation.

How does Brexit affect finding new tenders?

Tenders Direct customers are unaffected by the introduction of Find a Tender Service. Our team of Sourcing Specialists upload high value notices published through the Find a Tender service, directly to Tenders Direct. Low value tenders will also be available as normal.

If you do not currently use a tender alert service, the introduction of the Find a Tender Service means you have another portal to check for opportunities – taking you more time to find contracts that are suitable for you. 
 
Thanks to our unique Peer Review Process, our team are able to source, review and classify all notices from Find a Tender. This process allows us to categorise notices based on the keywords you search for, creating an easy to search database. With full coverage of all UK and ROI tenders, as well as applicable EU notices, Tenders Direct offers the UK’s most accurate tender alert service.  

Your Questions

  • Are thresholds going to change?
    The EU thresholds introduced on 1 January 2020 will remain in place until 1 January 2022. Future thresholds will be determined by the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) – which the UK has been a member of since 1 January 2021.
  • How will it be regulated to ensure all notices that are meant to be published on FTS are published on there?​ 
    No regulations have been introduced that we are currently aware of. This will work very much in the same way as Contracts Finder – notices ‘should’ be published to it. We will continue to use our Peer Review Process to ensure no tenders are missed, no matter where they are published.
  • Will the Find a Tender service display contracts published prior to 1 January 2021? 
    Find a Tender had a blank slate on the 1 January, meaning only notices published from that date forward will be visible. Tenders Direct will however still have details of all existing notices originally published on the OJEU.  
  • Will Tenders Direct still publish tenders from all sources?  
    Yes, Tenders Direct Will continue to provide full coverage. This means tenders from all official UK and ROI portals (this includes Contracts Finder and Find a Tender), all low-value notices from other sources, as well as high-value opportunities from the OJEU.
  • Will UK suppliers still be able to bid for OJEU tenders?​ 
    Yes, UK suppliers will be able to continue bidding for applicable OJEU contracts. 
  • Will we still be able to receive OJEU tenders notifications through Tenders Direct? 
    Yes, we will keep you informed of OJEU notices through both our alerts and tender search tool. 
  • Will there be an option to opt out of OJEU tenders?​ 
    Yes, you will be able to opt out by selecting ‘UK only’ in your profile. ​ 

Is there anything I should be aware of?

For the time being, procurement policies will remain closely aligned with the rules in place before Brexit. However, with no requirements to comply with EU directives for public procurement, the UK Government has scope to introduce changes.

Changes introduced post Brexit:

Listen to our Brexit and Find a Tender discussion

In our free on demand webinar, we take a closer look at what Brexit and the introduction of Find a Tender mean for you as a supplier.
The topics covered in our free on demand webinar are:
• Procurement after Brexit and Find a Tender Service
• What it means for public sector organisations and private companies
• What will happen with above-threshold procurement (OJEU)
• How to best prepare for the year ahead
• Useful tips, tools, and best practice learned from working in the public sector and tendering

To view this content, please follow the link and complete the form to request access to our Tendering after Brexit – What is Find a Tender? webinar

Further reading

The Policy Procurement Note: Introduction of Find a Tender explains the introduction of Find a Tender in greater detail. 

For details about other changes introduced as a result of Brexit, please view the UK Transition page on Gov.uk 

Public Sector Round-Up 06.11.20

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UK tender publishing update

999

725

274

Total UK NoticesLow-Value NoticesOJEU Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 30.10.20 & 05.11.20

In October 5152 notices were published across the UK. 3529 of these were low-value notices – which is great news for smaller businesses or those with limited experience of working in the public sector. Lower value notices tend to have less competition and fewer restrictions, making your entry to the market much easier.

If you are interested in finding out what the market looks like for your industry, get in touch and we’ll be happy to provide you with a free overview for your business. Alternatively, start looking for opportunities with our tender search tool on www.tendersdirect.co.uk

In the news this week

New Epsom and St Helier hospital in Sutton given green light
A new state-of-the-art hospital has been announced as part of the government’s £3.7 billion commitment to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 – for which another eight new schemes have been invited to bid. To discover construction, healthcare and other public sector opportunities, use our tender category search.

£228m Mottram bypass goes out to consultation
The public is being given the chance to influence plans for a new £228 million bypass to between Manchester and Sheffield. There will be a 6 week public consultation for the new two-mile bypass, which will run from the roundabout at the end of the M67 (junction 4) to a new junction on the A57 in Woolley Bridge.
Over the next 5 years, Highways England will be delivering £14 billion of major road projects, increasing the quality, capacity and safety of England’s motorways and major A roads – we can alert you to any projects relevant to your business, find out more here.

£2bn Technology Services 3 framework
This framework agreement will provide a range of local, regional and national services, and is divided into 5 lots: Technology Strategy and Service Design (£320m), Transition and Transformation (£260), Operational Services (£940m), Major Services Transformation Programmes (£580m) & Service Integration and Management (£100m).
For full details, view the notice here.

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-Margate: Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
Short description: The supply and installation of a floating vessel in the form of a pontoon or barge at the Port of Ramsgate, to form a commercial aggregate berth which will be sited within the Port estate.
Published By: Thanet District Council
Date Published: 30 October 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £1,299,986.95
Number of tenders received: 2 (Of which were SMEs: 1)
Contractors: BAM Nuttall Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Leyland: Construction work
Short description: Development of 55 residential units at land off Westfield Road, Catterall, Preston, Lancashire. 
Published By: Progress Housing Association Ltd
Date Published: 30 October 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £8,413,000.00
Number of tenders received: 1 (Of which were SMEs: 1)
Contractors: Breck Developments Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Manchester: Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment
Short description: The supply and delivery of a variety of crime reduction products, to be used by police forces as a cost effective way of reducing the risk of vulnerable people becoming victims of crime.
Published By: Greater Manchester Combined Authority — Greater Manchester Police
Date Published: 03 November 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £1,700,000.00
Number of tenders received: (Of which were SMEs: 2)
Contractors: JNE Security Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE


Boost your skills with our CPD accredited online training courses. Whether you are an experienced bid writer or new to tendering, we have courses for you.
Our course dates for January and February 2021 have just been announced:

Advanced Bid Writing Skills
⬩ 26 – 27 January 2021, 13:00 – 16:30
⬩ 23 – 24 February 2021, 13:00 – 16:30

An introduction to Public Procurement and Bid Writing
⬩ 12 – 13 January 2021, 13:00 – 16:30
⬩ 09 – 10 February 2021, 13:00 – 16:30

Writing Compelling Bids
⬩ 19 – 20 January 2021, 13:00 – 16:30
⬩ 16 – 17 February 2021, 13:00 – 16:30

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.
Visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk to find out more.

Public Sector Round-Up 09.10.20

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In the news this week: £51m worth of work on the A19 is to start 6 months early, ports to receive significant post-Brexit infrastructure fund, and £160m dedicated to producing wind turbines in England, Scotland and Wales.
Our top OJEU notices for the week feature a contract for over £2m worth of medical supplies, a contract for £34m worth of cargo handling and storage services, and a £50m award for billing, metering and interface equipment.
995 notices were published in the last 7 days, a significant increase on the previous week.

UK tender publishing update

995

689

306

Total UK NoticesLow-Value NoticesOJEU Notices
Tender notices published in the UK between 02.10.20 & 09.10.20

995 notices were published between 02.10.20 and 08.10.20, a 16% increase on the n umber of notices published the previous week.
As of 09.10.20, there are over 2900 live notices across all industries on Tender Direct.
If you would like more information about the types of opportunities available for your business, we would be happy to provide you with a free Market Overview.

In the news this week

Work starts 6 months ahead of schedule on £51 million A19 upgrade
£51 million worth of upgrades on the A19 have begun 6 months ahead of schedule, a move in support of the government’s commitment to quickly levelling up Northern transport infrastructure.
As of 09.10.2020 there are over 430 live road construction notices across the UK, and hundreds more for wider construction. View our category search to see what opportunities are available for you.

Government launch £200m Port Infrastructure Fund
Ports will be able to access this fund for the creation of vital port infrastructure – including warehouses, control posts and traffic management systems.
The fund has been create to allow ports to function post-Brexit, where regardless of the outcome, infrastructure changes will be needed.

Johnson pledges £160m for offshore wind
£160m will be invested in upgrading ports and factories in England, Wales and Scotland, for the production of wind turbines. This commitment is part of the first stage of a 10-point plan for a “green industrial revolution”.
The plan aims to create 2,000 jobs in construction and support 60,000 established jobs.
With a major focus on significantly reducing emissions to net-zero before 2050 – expect to see many more significant Build Back Greener schemes.


You never have to stress about missing low-value contracts – they’re all listed on Tenders Direct.
That’s right, we have every low-value notice (as well as OJEU notices) in the UK and ROI listed on our database. Try it out for yourself with our free 24 hour demo.

Top OJEU contract award notices

Title: United Kingdom-London: Medical equipments
Short description: Provision of PCR equipment and consumables as part of the UK Covid-19 Testing strategy in support of Pillar1 – NHS laboratory testing..
Published By: Department of Health and Social Care
Date Published: 05 October 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £2,119,113.60
Number of tenders received: 1 (of which were SMEs: 1)
Contractors: VWR International Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-Croydon: Cargo handling and storage services
Short description: Contract for the provision of Border Force Haulage and Storage Services. 
Published By: Home Office
Date Published: 07 October 2020
Framework/DPS: No
Value excluding VAT: £34,376,777.00
Number of tenders received: 5
Contractors: XPO Supply Chain UK Ltd
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Title: United Kingdom-London: Technical testing, analysis and consultancy services
Short description: A framework for the provision of billing, metering and interface equipment.
Published by: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Date Published: 07 October 2020
Framework/DPS: Yes
Value excluding VAT: £50,000,000.00
Number of tenders received: 3 (Of which were SMEs: 1)
Contractors: Switch2 Energy Ltd | Nottingham City Council | Vital Energi Utilities
View full award notice with your Tenders Direct login HERE

Tenders Direct is the UK’s most accurate tender alert service. We are the only service to guarantee that with us – you’ll never miss a tender.
Visit www.tendersdirect.co.uk to find out more.

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