The Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA) has launched a free of charge call-off service for its public sector partners to simplify the procurement process
SPA will work closely with its partners to provide guidance and support from the moment they register a project right through to when the contract is awarded.
The new service has been launched on a selection of its frameworks and can be tailored to meet the needs of each individual partner.
The selected frameworks include:
- Consultancy (H1 WS1)
- Whole House Framework and DPS (WH2)
- Fire Safety (FS1)
- Asbestos (AS2)
- Vacant Property (V7)
- Kitchen Units and Worktops (K6)
- Energy Efficiency Consultancy (N8C)
Public sector procurement
SPA Director Clive Feeney said: “Scotland’s ambitious housing targets mean that the pressure on public sector organisations to find greater efficiencies and cost savings in their procurement processes has never been greater.
“Using our call-off service, in which they have ready access to carefully vetted suppliers – all of whom are compliant with public sector procurement regulations – a crucial part of the process has already been done for them.
“We expect the service to be particularly welcomed by our partners without a procurement department or for those who have limited resources for procurement.”
The call-off service has been successfully piloted with nine partners and SPA is the only framework provider to offer the free of charge service in Scotland.
“Process was slick and pain free”
Property Services Director Amanda Hay described her experience of working with SPA as ‘slick and pain-free, she said:
“SPA helped us formulate our tender documents and load them onto the Public Contracts Scotland portal. They fielded questions from bidders, analysed submissions and structured both the contract award and notifications to unsuccessful bidders.
“After an initial meeting to scope the projects and set up timelines for each stage, everything else was handled through virtual meetings and via email. All in all, the process was slick and pain free, and we would definitely look to procure further projects with the SPA team.”
