This section covers how to identify public sector contract opportunities suitable for your business and the ways in which you may be asked to bid (quotation or tender).
"Quotation" and “Tender” are general terms used to describe the process of a buyer purchasing something to meet their requirements by undertaking a procurement exercise i.e. a buyer advertises and publishes their requirements via documents, and suppliers compete against each other by bidding for the requirement.
Quickfire Guide
When a buyer publishes their documents for suppliers to bid, the buyer will already have made the decision on:
You as a bidder do not influence the procurement process or system used for the procurement process as this has already been decided upon by the buyer.
This decision will have been made by the buyer based on many factors which include:
The buyer will include information and instructions on the above areas in their tender documents. As a result you, as the potential bidder, should read and become familiar with all of the buyer's requirements and make the decision on whether to bid based on this.
If you have any queries regarding the procurement exercise this should be raised with the buyer as early as possible. This will normally be done via the postbox facility in Public Contracts Scotland or in Public Contracts Scotland – Tender. More information can found in the Postbox Supplier User Guide for PCS and the PCS-Tender Supplier Response Guide.
Although you do not influence the procurement process or system used for the procurement process, the following stations contain more information, which you can refer to, on the procurement procedures and processes that may be used by the buyer.