Have you considered bidding for Public Sector contracts?

North Ayrshire Council procures a vast range of goods, works and services each year. And, Scotland-wide, the public sector spends more than £16 billion annually.

Whether your business supplies office stationery, pest control, security or social care it is likely that there are public contracts which you can bid to win.

Our advisors help local businesses develop the skills necessary to successfully navigate the public sector tender process. And it makes good business sense to do so: for every £1 local authorities can spend on goods and services with local businesses, an additional 63p is generated for the local economy.

Why do business with the public sector

  • Fair, honest and innovative in selecting suppliers
  • No bad debt risk
  • Favourable payment terms with invoices settled within 30 days.
  • Stability
  • Best value for money – not cheapest price
  • Constructive feedback on your tender if you’re unsuccessful

How to find contract opportunities

There are a number of ways North Ayrshire businesses can see opportunities to obtain public sector contracts:

North Ayrshire Council Local Business Database

This is a short questionnaire that allows businesses to provide details on their services but also highlights training needs and where a business requires support.  The database is available to all services within North Ayrshire Council and employees are encouraged to review the database before they make any purchasing decisions.  Supporting Community Wealth Building, this is a way for local businesses (they must be registered within North Ayrshire) to promote their services across the Council and receive follow-up support from both our Business and Procurement Teams.

Please use this form to provide the key information about your local business.

Contract portals

All contracts in Scotland above a certain financial threshold must be advertised via Public Contracts Scotland (PCS), a free online portal on which you can register and set up a supplier profile.

You can even set up daily alerts to let you know about the type of contracts you’re interested in.

  • Public Contracts Scotland (PCS): Online tender portal used by all public sector organisations in Scotland, to advertise high value contracts and invite suppliers to provide a ‘Quick Quote’ for lower value contracts.
  • Scotland Excel: Scotland Excel is the Centre of Procurement Expertise for the local government sector in Scotland. They offer collaborative procurement and their £1 billion contract portfolio supports the delivery of social care, construction, roads, transport, environment, corporate, education and ICT services.

Scottish and local government resources

  • Supplier Development Programme (SDP): The Supplier Development Programme provides a range of free tender training workshops, aimed at helping businesses who are interested in bidding for public sector contracts. Training is delivered through workshops and webinars with courses including finding and responding to opportunities, completing the ESPD and improving your bid score.
  • The Supplier Journey: A free Scottish Government resource containing guidance for suppliers on how to bid for public sector contracts.

For more information, please contact us.