Ascertain Requirements and Tenders

Procurement activity begins with early involvement with the end user/section to ascertain requirements. When the need has been clearly defined, guidance from the procurement policy occurs whereby the anticipated contractual spend value determines the procurement route to be undertaken.

For contracts above the EU thresholds BTP strives to achieve greater value for money through collaboration with other Police Forces and Agencies e.g. Government Procurement Service. 

 

This collaborative procurement and use of national framework agreements reduces transaction time and cost in the production of tenders and leverage in obtaining savings and sharing volume discounts in ongoing arrangements. 

The collaborative sites/agreements/agencies used are:

• The Bluelight website is a collaborative incentive between Police Forces and Fire and Rescue Services. The site provides a central point of reference where contracts and tender opportunities are displayed for the participating Authorities. For more information about the Bluelight contracts facility please refer to the website www.blpd.gov.uk. For more information about the Bluelight eTendering facility please refer to www.bluelight.gov.uk.

• The Government Procurement Service has a public sector national procurement portal called Buying Solutions. Information of over 500,000 products and services through 600 suppliers is available on their website http://www.buyingsolutions.gov.uk/

• The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)  www.acpo.police.uk

• The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) www.npia.police.uk

If there is no suitable collaborative option available (or BTP takes a lead role), BTP will undertake the tender process utilising the MyTenders system for electronic tendering http://www.mytenders.org/

For further information about the EU tender process refer to EU Procurement and Requlations.

 

Contracts tendered through EU process from 1 April 2009

Services provided	Name of Supplier	Contract Value
Managed Network Services	British Telecommunications plc	£9,882,431