Doing business with the council
In the sections below you will find information about selling goods, works and services to Dartford Borough Council. If you need any further information please contact procurement@dartford.gov.uk.
Dartford Borough Council follows strict rules when procuring goods, works and services. These rules depend on the value and type of procurement. Please see the procurement rules section below for the rules and procedures the Council follows.
Dartford Borough Council is committed to having an efficient and transparent procurement process at all times and is therefore in favour of competition wherever possible. Opportunities are advertised on the South East Business Portal website (www.businessportal.southeastiep.gov.uk).
Please note that Dartford Borough Council does not hold an approved list of contractors and therefore cold calling or regular mail shots will not be acknowledged or answered.
- Procurement Rules
- Current Opportunities & Details of Contracts Let
- Electronic Procurement
- Payment Terms & Procedures
- Policies, Terms & Conditions
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get on a Dartford Borough Council preferred supplier list (select list)?
Dartford Borough Council does not have its own preferred supplier list or select list. All current opportunities are advertised on the South East Business Portal website www.businessportal.southeastiep.gov.uk.
Will price be the only criterion when evaluating a quotation or tender?
Not necessarily. The invitation to quote or invitation to tender will always detail the criterion to be used in the decision to award the contract. Sometimes price will be the only criterion but more often than not other factors will be taken into account such as; quality, technical merit, environmental considerations, social impact, running costs, after sales service, delivery dates etc.
Can I get feedback on my rejected PQQ, Quotation or Tender?
Yes you are entitled to feedback if you are not selected to submit a tender or not awarded the contract. Contact procurement@dartford.gov.uk for feedback.
What are the contact details for procurement?
Catherine Bailey (Procurement & Finance Officer) 01322 343312.
Toby Cobbin (Procurement & Finance Assistant) 01322 343315.
Email: procurement@dartford.gov.uk
How do you select contractors who have expressed an interest in a contract?
Dartford Borough Council's opportunities will usually follow one of two routes; open or restricted.
Where an opportunity follows the open route, all suppliers that express an interest in an opportunity will be invited to tender.
Pre Qualification Questionnaires (PQQ)
Where a tender follows the restricted route, all suppliers that express an interest in an opportunity will be sent a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). The objective of the PQQ is to identify a group of capable and suitable organisations with which to progress to the tender stage.
The questionnaire contains information, threshold and scoring questions. Threshold questions are minimum requirements that have to be met. If an organisation cannot meet the threshold questions then their PQQ will not be scored and they will not be invited to tender. Once an organisation can meet all the threshold questions the remaining scoring questions will be evaluated. Details of the number of suppliers that will be invited to tender will be detailed in the opportunity advertisement. For example, it may be that all suppliers that meet the threshold questions will be invited to tender or it may be that only the top 5 scoring suppliers will be invited to tender.
View an example of our standard PQQ. Please note that this is only an example. The actual PQQ for each opportunity may be different depending on the nature of the procurement.
References
Dartford Borough Council may take up references on your organisation. In the PQQ we will ask you to provide details of three recent contracts that are relevant to our requirements. If you cannot provide these, please explain why. Please note that it is your responsibility to contact referees beforehand, to make sure that their contact details are correct and that they are available and willing to provide a reference.
Financial check
We will carry out a financial evaluation of your company if you are invited to tender. We may require you to submit 3 years audited accounts. We may also opt to use an externally recognised financial appraisal company.
