Tenders and contracts

To ensure we achieve value for money we have in place a tenders programme to cover the purchase of those goods and services we buy on a regular basis.

Tenders can be either 'open tenders' or 'restricted tenders'.

Under the open tender procedure all suppliers who respond to an advert are supplied with the tender documents which they can return if they so wish. This procedure is normally used when we purchase goods.

The restricted procedure, a two stage process, is used for larger, non-standard requirements and services contracts. Interested parties are invited to undergo a 'pre-qualification assessment' before a limited number are invited to tender.

Our current advertised tenders are shown on our website www.sandwellhomestenders.org.uk. Potential suppliers should register on this website and express their interest in any contract they wish to tender for.

In addition to the regular purchases covered by our tenders programme there are occasions where a 'one off' purchase or low value tender is required and, dependent upon the anticipated cost, these purchases will normally be undertaken using a three quotation process. These opportunities to tender will also appear on the website.

For help in registering your company on our website please click here for a registration guide or click here for a navigation guide.

Europe

This requires that any tender for supplies and services which exceeds £173,934 must be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), and open to competition throughout the member states. Works contracts which will exceed £4,348,350 also have to be advertised in OJEU.

Award criteria

Tenders are usually awarded on the basis of the 'most economically advantageous tender'. The lowest price is not always the best option so tenders are assessed upon various criteria other than price. A weighted scoring matrix is devised which allows for comparisons to be made between the various tenders. The leading contenders are usually invited for a 'contracts assessment interview' at which time they will be asked questions regarding their bid to ensure they fully understand our requirements. They will also be asked questions about their own company and given the opportunity to ask questions themselves.

It is important to appreciate that not all goods and services purchased by Sandwell Homes are covered by the tenders procedure outlined above. More and more we are participating in collaborative purchasing arrangements with other ALMOs, councils, central government and purchasing consortia. Examples of the products and services purchased in this manner include mobile phones, photocopiers, stationery and energy.

If you are interested in becoming a supplier to Sandwell Homes you should first check that the product or service you wish to supply is not already covered by a collaborative agreement or if existing arrangements are in place which will preclude the need for Sandwell Homes to enter the market for a period of time.

Purchasing cards

We encourage all suppliers to accept payment by purchasing card. This will ensure prompt and speedy payment of invoices. Further information is available upon request from the purchasing section.

BACS

Our preferred method of payment for those suppliers who do not accept purchasing cards is BACS and all suppliers are requested to provide bank details to enable electronic transfer of funds.

E-Procurement

Sandwell Homes embraces the use of new technologies and will be undertaking a proportion of their purchasing using “e–procurement”. All suppliers are encouraged to investigate the benefits this technology can bring to their business. Wherever possible, purchase orders are currently despatched by e-mail to suppliers.

Freedom of Information Act

Sandwell Homes is a public sector body and as such is required to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. Under the terms of the Act we may be required to disclose information that has been given by a supplier. Any requests for disclosure of information need to satisfy certain conditions as the Act provides certain safeguards. Click here for further information on the Freedom of Information Act.

Transparency - Payments to Creditors Over £500

Sandwell Homes publishes all invoices over £500 that are paid each month. The data is provided in CSV (Comma Separated Values) and PDF (Portable Document Format) formats to make the data as useful to as many people as possible. Each monthly file contains details of all invoices paid in the reporting month that have a value of £500 or more (excluding VAT).

We will not be publishing the names of payments that are of a personal nature, such as those to tenants, in these cases names will be replaced with the words 'Redacted Personal Data'. The recoverable VAT element of the payments will also be excluded from this file Sandwell Homes will continue to review the file format and information therein, with a view to making improvements to the information over time, and also taking into account any developments in published best practice in this area.

Downloads (in CSV format)

April 2011 Web Report                                                             
May 2011 Web Report
June 2011 Web Report

July 2011 web Report

August 2011 Web Report

September 2011 Web Report

October 2011 Web Report

November 2011 Web Report

December 2011 Web Report

January 2012 Web Report

Downloads (in PDF format)

April 2011 Web Report
May 2011 Web Report
June 2011 Web Report

July 2011 Web Report

August 2011 Web Report

September 2011 Web Report

October 2011 web Report

November 2011 Web Report

December 2011 Web report

January 2012 Web Report

Contact details and pre-qualification questionnaire

If you have any questions or want to obtain a copy of a pre-qualification questionnaire please contact our purchasing department on 0121 569 6088 or apply in writing to:

Purchasing Department
Sandwell Homes Limited
Operations and Development Centre
Roway Lane
Oldbury
West Midlands
B69 3ES