Important Information for Potential Suppliers
From January 2010 Cheshire West and Chester
Council will be implementing the Pro Contract eSourcing software
provided by Due North. All
potential suppliers to Cheshire West and Chester Council will need
to register with
The Chest', the North West Regional Procurement Hub.
The Chest is used by over 30 Local Authorities in the
North West of England; by registering on the
The Chest you can have the potential to see current
opportunities across the North West of England.
When regsitering you will be asked to specify the goods /
services that you provide and the areas / Councils that you wish to
provide to. If any RFQ's or ITT's are posted that match the
criteria that you have entered when registering you will
automatically receive an email notification advising you of the
details and deadlines for the required service - you are not
obliged to provide quotations or tender if you do not wish
to. Full user guides for registering as well as contact
details if you require any help are available on
The Chest.
Please visit our eSourcing/eTendering
webpage for more information and help with registering.
This section will give you guidance on how you can become a
supplier to the Council, details of our contracts and current
tender opportunities.
The Authority has a devolved procurement structure and as such
the sourcing, tendering and purchasing, of goods and services are
decentralised. Cheshire West and Chester does not operate an
approved supplier list; however some services do operate select
lists.
The Authority has to follow its financial procedure rules which
regulate how it conducts its business. In addition as a public
sector body we are bound by the
EU Procurement Directives for those contracts exceeding the
thresholds above which we are obliged to
publicly advertise our contracts throughout the European Union:
Purchases below
£10,000
The Council requires at least 3 emailed or telephone
quotations.
Purchases below
£50,000
The Council requires at least 3 written competitive quotations.
Purchases above £50,000
Tenders will be advertised on the tender opportunities section. The
Council will carry out a rigorous tendering process and if the
value exceeds the current EU thresholds will be in accordance with
European Procurement Rules.
Large volume, low price consumables e.g. stationery, paper and
educational supplies are purchased by CBS Supplies and held in a
Central Stores in Runcorn. They too will purchase within the same
rules and process.
- ‘How to Sell
to Cheshire West and Chester’ (PDF 119kb). Written
primarily for Small and Medium Enterprises in Cheshire, this
guide is invaluable for those interested in providing goods and
services for the Council.
The aim of the Guide is to provide you with some basic
information on doing business with us.
We hope you find this guide useful. More detailed information
can be obtained by contacting the officers detailed on the tender
opportunities page.
Tender Opportunities
Oracle iSupplier Portal
Introduction
Cheshire Shared Services provide Suppliers with the option of
using the Oracle iSupplier Portal module to connect to our
eBusiness System to do the following:
Purchase Order:
- View / Print Purchase Orders
- Search for old Purchase Orders
- View Purchase Order "Lifecycle" - track if an order has been
receipted / paid etc.
Invoices / Payments:
- Drill down against a Purchase Order to check if it has been
invoiced / paid
- Search existing invoices against Invoice Number / Purchase
Order Number / Invoice Date etc - check if your invoice has been
paid yet
Support
For support please read the iSupplier
User Guide (Word 709kb).
If, after having read the userguide, you find that you need to
speak to someone at Cheshire Shared Services for additional support
(e.g. you have your password reset, or to report an issue with
iSupplier), please call 01244 977140.
Payment to Suppliers
Automated payment direct into your bank account (e.g. payment by
BACS - Banker Automated Clearing Services) is the Council's
preferred method of payment as it is cost effective, efficient and
secure. To apply for payment by BACS please submit your banking
information on your organisation’s letterhead, signed (with an
original signature) and dated by an authorised officer.
Please read: Changes to
Ordering / Invoicing Procedures (PDF 49kb)
NB We do not accept scanned/photocopied/computer
generated or faxed signatures - this must be in ink.
Please send these details to:
Payments Section
Cheshire West and Chester
PO Box 3657
Chester
CH1 9PR
Please note: if you are a private individual then please send a
letter containing the required information.
If required, further guidance can be obtained from Payments
Helpdesk on 01244 973219.