Supplier guidance

ENGAGING WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS

Supplier Feedback

Your views are important to us! Help us find creative solutions! Please fill in our Supplier Satisfaction Survey [DOC]. Completed surveys should be returned to: procurement@nes.scot.nhs.uk with the header title "Supplier Survey Response".

All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Supplier's Charter

NES has signed up to the Scottish Government's Suppliers' Charter.

The Suppliers' Charter is a joint statement between public sector buying organisations and Scottish businesses to agree to work together to improve public sector procurement processes and dialogue. We recognise the need, where practical, to simplify and standardise processes and to ensure consistency in order to provide a fair and open approach to tendering. With these aims in mind NES will:-

• Consult with the business community to identify and reduce barriers to business.
• Facilitate understanding of public sector procurement policy and legislation by relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure that the approach to individual contracts, including large contracts and framework agreements, is supported by a sound business case.
• Keep the tender process as simple as possible, but consistent with achieving Best Value/value for money, to help minimise costs to suppliers.
• Unless there are compelling business reasons to the contrary ensure that adequate and appropriate publicity is given to contract opportunities that fall below the OJEU threshold limits or are otherwise exempt from the public procurement directives. (Compelling reasons may, for example, include the factor that the proposed firm is by recent experience (within 3 months) the best value for money supplier and would be likely to remain so in another competition).
• Commit to using the core questionnaire for routine procurement with addition of bespoke additions on a case by case basis. Authorities will be expected to follow this format and, as closely as possible, wording for routine open procedure procurement.
• Offer meaningful feedback to suppliers on the evaluation of their proposal at the end of the tendering process.
• Publish guidance [PDF] for the business community on tendering for opportunities.
• Support training for procurement staff to develop consistency in the use of best practice procurement activity.

More information about the Suppliers' charter is available from the Scottish Government's website.

Educational Commissioning - A Best Practice Guide

The objective of any centrally coordinated commissioning model is to provide maximum operational support to educational provision that addresses strategic imperatives for workforce development.

The purpose is to ensure that funding and resource for education and training is targeted at the development of a workforce that is well trained, flexible and competent to meet the changing demands in the population health and care needs and to ensure governance, quality control, sustainability and improvement in a financially challenging context.

Furthermore, it must do so in a manner that is cost efficient and can be measured to demonstrate effectiveness in meeting set outcomes.

For further information, the guide can be found in PDF format: Education Commissioning - A Best Practice Guide [PDF].