Tender documentation should provide tenderers with background information about the services required, as well as setting out the detailed requirements.
Tender documentation will typically comprise instructions to tenderers with the conditions to participate.
As with all aspects of the Procurement Journey, the activities at this stage must be carried out in a carefully managed manner that supports the Principles of Procurement. As a minimum the processes must be carried out:
It is your responsibility to ensure these requirements are met.
Electronic tendering enables you to manage the procurement process online. It:
It is best practice to use PCS-Tender, if the procurement officer has access to it as PCS-Tender manages the administrative aspects of the tendering process.
If PCS-Tender is being used, the relevant project code should be entered into the Contract Notice on Public Contracts Scotland (PCS). Alternatively, if the procurement officer does not have access to PCS-Tender, then Public Contracts Scotland – Advertising should be used throughout the process.
Invitation to Tender documents must be:
These documents must be available from the date of publication of a Contract Notice, or (if a PIN is used as a call for competition) the date on which the Invitation to Confirm Interest was sent.
Only those tenderers who have passed the appropriate selection stage will be allowed to tender in a two-stage procedure.
For the following procedures:
An invitation to submit a tender must be issued to selected tenderers at the same time and in writing. However the open procedure allows for ITTs to be issued on request at any point prior to the date set for submission of tenders.
Where ITT documents cannot be issued electronically for example because the contract is of a nature which requires the use of specialised tools and/or files, other transmission means can be used. The tender time limit should be increased by five days except where permitted in a case of duly substantiated urgency.
Timescales for each procedure can be found in the relevant procurement route station.
Deadlines must be extended where:
The length of extension must be proportionate to the complexity of the change and/or the additional information being provided.
To proceed with a tender extension the necessary approval must be obtained in accordance with your internal governance and legislation. If the date is amended, the new date should be notified to all tenderers. If any tenderer have already submitted a bid they should be given the opportunity of withdrawing their original bid. They can then submit a revised bid in line with the extended tender deadline.