How to submit a tender

The council uses the electronic procurement portal Supplying the South West as its e-tendering system. Organisations wishing to express their interest in providing goods, services and works advertised by the council must register their interest (for free) via the council's e-tendering system unless otherwise stated.

When a supplier applies for a tender a set of tender documents will be issued via the e-tendering system. The documentation could consist of all or some of the following, but will not be limited to:

  • Instructions to tenderers - provides guidance for completing the tender documentation
  • Submission details - states the time and date by which the tender response must be returned
  • Tender evaluation and Award criteria - explains how the tender will be evaluated and scored
  • Specification - describes the goods, services or works required
  • Indicative contract - Sets out an indicative draft version of the contract between the council and the contractor
  • Supplier Information Questionnaire or Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) - where the tenderer provides basic organisational information and responses to conditions of participation (where applicable)
  • Tenderer's response section - where the tenderer provides a written response to the relevant quality and price questions
  • Form of tender - is signed by the tenderer to indicate that they understand the tender and accept the terms and conditions and other requirements of participating in the procurement exercise
  • Other declarations - which are signed by the tenderer relating to fraud prevention and Freedom of Information and confidentiality
  • Any other additional supporting information such as TUPE information, drawings, plans, programmes

When submitting your bid

  • Read carefully through all parts of the tender document and ask for clarification if anything is unclear to ensure your bid meets our requirements
  • Understand how we will evaluate your tender so you can make your bid as focused and comprehensive as possible
  • Be aware of tender deadlines, especially if you need input from sub-contractors
  • Take note that if the total value of the contract is in excess of the relevant UK procurement threshold in order to submit a tender you must also be registered on the Central Digital Platform ("CDP") - Find a Tender service (FTS). In your tender response you will be asked to share this information with us either via a share code or PDF download. Details of how to register on Find a Tender service
  • Watch out for any amendments we may post that change the scope of the tender
  • Make your bid both concise and positive. We want to know what you would do, not what you might do
  • You may also want to review the Herefordshire Council Plan and Working Well Together: Herefordshire Compact to help you complete your bid

We can give feedback on your bid if it is not successful. You can also give us feedback on your experience of our tendering process.