4 different notices you will find on procurement portals
Once you’ve started to look for opportunities to buy from the public sector you will find there are different types of notices published. This can be confusing but once you have started using the portals you will become familiar with each type of notice. Within this article we outline 4 different types of notice and the information you should find in the notice.
Prior Information Notice
A Prior Information Notice (or PIN) can be used by public sector organisations to advertise that they will soon be looking to buy the goods, services or works outlined. This can be published up to twelve months in advance and can be used to reduce the timescales of the tender, when published. They will contain some basic information regarding the goods, services or works to be purchased. These are:
1. Details of the buyer
2. What they want to purchase
3. What the contract value is likely to be
4. The type of contract
5. Scheduled date for the start of the award procedure
PINs are usually followed up by a contract notice but under certain circumstances can be used as a call for competition. If the PIN is being used in this way this will be clearly stated within the PIN and you must register your interest to receive updates.
We would always recommend registering your interest in these notices, if you can. This means you can access additional documentation, receive updates and be notified of any events being held in connection with the opportunity.
Contract Notice
A contract notice is an advert notifying potential suppliers about a contract opportunity. It contains the following information:
1. Name and contact details of the buying organisation
2. Who will be entitled to use the contract (particularly if being placed for a group of public sector bodies)
3. The type of contract on offer (supplies, works or services)
4. The main commodity being procured
5. Any other items required which aren’t covered by the main object category.
6. The tendering procedure that will be followed
7. The criteria that suppliers will have to meet
8. Whether there is an alternative way of meeting the requirements of the contract notice.
9. The total quantity or scope of the contract (one time or many? A one-time service or an ongoing package?)
10. The economic, financial and technical capacity that will be expected of successful bidders.
This should be enough information to help you decide whether to bid for the opportunity or not.
Contract Award Notice
A Contract Award Notice is used by public sector organisations to formally advertise that a contract award has been made. All Scottish public bodies must publish their Contract Award Notices on Public Contracts Scotland for contracts valued above £50,000 for goods and services. They will contain:
1. Details of the buyer
2. If applicable, joint procurement details
3. The date the contract was awarded
4. The award criteria
5. The number of offers received
6. The name and address of the successful supplier(s)
7. The scope of the contract – either by value or volume
8. Whether the contract was split into lots.
Contract Award Notices are a good source of market information. The information you identify can be used to investigate current and likely future contract requirements.
Quick Quote Award
Similar to Contract Award Notices Quick Quote Award Notices contain market intelligence which can inform how you bid in the future. If the value of the contract is less than £50,000 there is no requirement to publish these but some bodies choose to. These notices should contain:
1. Details of the buyer
2. Details of what the buyer purchased
3. Value of contract
4. Number of tenders received
5. Name of successful supplier(s)
As you can see there are a number of different notices used by public bodies to advertise opportunities or to notify the outcome. Each of these notices contain market intelligence that can be invaluable when developing and updating a procurement strategy.
If you are interested in exploring how you can grow your business by selling to the public sector get in touch.