Selling to the Council - Buyer Profile

We expect to spend approximately £50 million on a range of goods and services from third parties in the upcoming financial year. Obtaining best value is an essential requirement and one that cannot be achieved without the support of our suppliers, both large and small.

South East Business Portal

The Portal is designed to allow the sharing of information about existing contracts (Contract Store) and forthcoming tendering opportunities (Opportunities) across the 74 councils* and 9 fire & rescue services of the south east region.

Visit the South East Business Portal website for full details.

Procurement, Commissioning and Supplier Management Strategy

Partnerships for success

Our approach to business is one of partnership. We are constantly working to improve our processes and the way we work with our suppliers. Be it the 'Meet the Buyer' events we run, the feedback section of our website or the shared experience of our existing local suppliers, we look for a collaborative approach. You can find out more in our Working with us section.

An open door for new suppliers

We are always keen to hear from new suppliers. We aim to provide you with the information and details of all opportunities to allow you to compete for a share of our business. We are also open to suggestions and new ways of working to improve efficiency. Email your contributions using the contact details in the 'Contact Us' menu at the top of the page.

What we look for in our suppliers

When buying we consider whole life costs rather than simply looking at the initial purchase price. Considerations include:

• quality of products and services
• cost of products and services
• availability of products and services
• environmental, equality, sustainability and health and safety policies of the organisation

A Local Approach

We are committed to doing all we can to place orders for goods and services with local businesses and organisations - as demonstrated by our first place ranking in the South East region survey by the Federation of Small Businesses. This is your opportunity to try to increase your turnover and profitability and to be part of a vibrant local economy, which will benefit both you and the community.

Quality and value for money

Our desire is to provide the community with the best possible service and value for money with all our contracts. Find out more by looking at our: 

• Current Contracts
  
• Tenders Available

You can also find out more information about procurement issues via the selection of website links to the right of this page.

Selling to the Council Guide

You can download our guide below:

Selling to the Council Guide (kB PDF)

Page last reviewed 2 Feb 2011