Tendering Guidelines and Procedures
1. Scope
All intended purchases of an aggregated value of £15,000 or above (all figures quoted are inclusive of vat)
2. Supplier Selection
A minimum of three suppliers must be selected to be invited to tender. These suppliers must have the capacity and capability to carry out the specification set out in the tender document. For tenders over £50,000 a minimum of four suppliers should be invited to tender. In order to commence a tender process a tender registration number must be obtained from the Purchasing Department and a "part one - invitations" form completed.
3. Tender documentation to include
- Clear specification of requirement.
- Form of tender.
- Method of contact for queries by tenderers. Questions raised by any tenderer, and subsequent answers given during the process, should be forwarded to all tenderers to ensure consistency of information.
- Date and procedure for return of tender bids.
- SOAS Terms & Conditions apply unless otherwise stated.
4. Dunn & Bradstreet Financial Reports
Reports on tenderer’s financial position to be sought for all tenderers over an aggregated value of £25,000 or more. Contact Purchasing to obtain the report.
5. Return of tender bids
Tenderers are to be instructed to return bids via hand delivery, in the envelope provided, to the Purchasing Department Room F313, The School of Oriental & African Studies, 23/24 Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG. The instruction must include a specified time and date by which the bid should be received. Any bids not received by the specified time and date may be disqualified. Disqualification is at the discretion of the evaluation panel.
6. Opening of tenders
Tenders to be opened in the presence of a representative of the Finance Department, a representative of the initiating department/budget holder, and the Purchasing Manager or their nominated representative. For tenders of a value of £400,000 or above the opening should be conducted by the Director of Finance, or the Deputy Director of Finance, or the Director of Information and Strategy, a representative of F&GP nominated by the Director, and the Purchasing Manager.
Details are to be entered onto a "part two - opening of bids" form which is obtained from the Purchasing Department. The form is signed by parties present at the opening. Reference should be made in the tender book to any invitation to tender that was declined, not received, submitted late, or opened in error.
7. Tender Evaluations
The composition of the evaluation panel shall be determined by the aggregated value of the tender being considered. The value of tender will also determine the appropriate authorisation process of any recommendation. Please see the table below:
| Panel to consist of | Threshold | Evaluation approval and award authorisation |
|---|---|---|
| By two or more members of the relevant department, and a Purchasing Department Representative. | Up to £19,999 | In accordance with financial authorities (see section 19.2 of SOAS Financial Procedures) |
| By two members of the relevant department, the Purchasing Manager, and a Senior Finance Department Representative. | £20,000 to £99,999 | Resources Committee |
| By two members of the relevant department, the Purchasing Manager, Senior Finance Representative, and a significant end customer of the service being tendered. | £100,000 and above | Resources Committee |
Prior to evaluating the tenders the panel should agree on a scoring mechanism and a set of ground rules for the process. The outcome of the process and subsequent award is to be entered onto a "part three - evaluation outcome" form which is obtained from the Purchasing Department. The form is to be signed by all parties who took part in the evaluation process and approved accordingly.
8. Exemptions
In exceptional circumstances, exemptions to tendering requirements may be considered. Such exemptions would have to be approved by the Director of Finance and Administration. Examples of exemptions may be as follows: Work of a specialist nature, emergency requirements, and extended requirements based on a matching specification. However EU legislation, where applicable, takes precedent. Any approved exemption is to be noted in the tender book with a brief explanation of the circumstances.
9. Contract Award
Written confirmation of acceptance of contract should be sought from the successful tenderer prior to notifying the unsuccessful tenderers. All notification should be carried out in writing, for tenders of £50,000 and above the notification should include an offer of a feedback session should the tenderer so desire. This feedback session should take place on a “face to face” basis and documented.
10. Post Award Review
Any contract award resulting from the tender process should be reviewed either at the completion of the task (if the task was a specific one off instruction or purchase), or after a maximum three month period should the task be over a agreed term of six months or more. Contracts over an agreed term should also be subject to periodic review.
Any review should be measuring if the specification of the contract is being met, and addressing any difficulties being experienced by either parties. Both parties should be represented at such reviews and the meetings should have an agreed agenda and be minuted.
This document has been approved by SOAS Finance & General Purposes Committee.
