Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and local businesses
Economic growth is one of the council's key priorities. Procurement can play an important part in developing this goal.
The council is committed to ensuring opportunities are open to all and that SMEs and local businesses should not be disadvantaged in any way in the tender process.
The council is a member of the Supplier Development Programme (SDP).
The council advertises all tenders through the Public Contracts Scotland website.
The council has a 10 point plan:
- Continue to support Supplier Development Programme (SDP) events.
- Ensure all tenders are advertised on one marketplace, Public Contracts Scotland.
- Offer debriefs to unsuccessful suppliers to help with future bids.
- Offer to meet local businesses on a 1-2-1 basis to ensure there is on-going dialogue.
- Review and monitor SME and local business success rate at passing Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) process.
- Ensure consideration is given to SME issues when developing a tender strategy.
- Develop a local construction forum and Social Care partnership forum to share ideas, issues and best practice. This will be considered for any other commodity area with a strong local marketplace.
- Ensure a fair representation of local companies is invited for low value quotes and monitor the success rate of this policy.
- Review tender documents to ensure they are consistent and user friendly.
- Streamlining the information required in a tender process.
Third Sector Organisations
The council is working on a number of 'Partners for Change' pilots.
The pilots aims are to:
- improve the relationship and communication with the third sector
- develop a joint commissioning approach, involving all partners
- develop capacity across the third sector
- agree pilot projects from across council departments
- share learning and evaluate progress
Community Benefits
Community Benefit clauses enable us to include contractual requirements in contracts. This helps ensure that suppliers deliver wider social benefits as part of the contract.
Our Community Benefits in Procurement Policy requires Community Benefit Clauses in tenders for:
- supplies and services contracts over £50k
- all works contracts over £100k
unless there is a compelling economic argument not to do so.
Supported Businesses
A Supported Business is a business where at least 30% of its employees have a disability or are disadvantaged.
Where applicable, the council can restrict access to Supported Businesses who can meet minimum requirements.
Sustainability Procurement Action Plan
The council has a Sustainability Procurement Action Plan in place to support the achievement of the above.
Community Benefit Wishlist
As part of our Community Wealth Building commitments, we have launched a new Community Benefit Wishlist.
This allows Third Sector and community organisations in North Ayrshire to register projects for support through the community benefit commitments in Council tenders.
Contractors who have committed to supporting a community project in their winning tenders will be directed to this list, which will display a live list of requests from our communities.
For further information, please email communitybenefits@north-ayrshire.gov.uk