How to apply to sell to the Council

The Council asks suppliers to follow a series of steps when applying for the provision of goods, services or works. These stages provide a fair and transparent tendering process for all submissions.

Four steps to success

There are four stages in the tendering process:

1. Look for details of tenders in the Oxford Mail and Oxford Times, the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU)* and the Tenders Available section of this website.
2. Contact the person listed in the tender advertisement.
3. Make an application using the documents sent to you: 
   - A covering letter.
   - A pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) - for restricted tenders only.
    - A set of instructions for the tenderer. This document details:
              * important administrative procedures
                 relating to the tender, such as dates
                 and times
              * method of tender return
              * evaluation criteria to be used in
                 selection process
              * details of where tender queries should
                 be directed.
              * specification - Council requirements
              * contract terms & conditions
4. Await to find out if you are on the shortlist. If selected, you will be asked to make a presentation before a final decision is made based upon a precise scoring system.

* OJEU - all tenders above a value of £139,893 must be advertised in the journal.

The journal's Tenders Direct website lists all public sector advertisements above this threshold.

Filling in the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ)

If you are asked to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire you will need to provide details of:

• your financial and economic standing
• technical capability to fulfil the contract
• your equality, sustainability and health and safety policies
• the history of your company or organisation
• what experience you have in the provision of the tender requirements
• where the Council may obtain references.

Complete, accurate and on time

To ensure your bid is considered, both at the pre-qualification and the final tender stages, you should:

• provide all the information requested
• answer all questions accurately
• return the information by the closing date specified to the address stated
• ensure that the package containing your documentation does not reveal the identity of your organisation.

Completing the tender documents

The tender documents the Council sends out to suppliers contain details of the requirements. The specification, in particular, should be read carefully with all information completed fully and accurately.

If in doubt ask before the closing date

It is your responsibility to contact us ahead of the closing date if you have any queries. Incomplete, inaccurate or unclear information may disqualify your tender. The Council cannot make allowances for bids submitted after the closing date and time set.

Page last reviewed 27 Aug 2009