Information

 

Commercial Team

All three organisations listed below are governed by the same rules;

• The Office of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner
• Northamptonshire Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority
• Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police

This information will outline how we procure goods, services and works and how you can find out about opportunities.

 

We have a small commercial team that ensure goods and services are procured in line with our Contract Standing Orders (Corporate Governance Framework).  These Contract Standing Orders set out the rules by which the organisations spend money on supplies, services and works in order to deliver the Policing/Fire services. They apply to any contracts that result in a payment being made by, or to, the organisations.

 

Contract standing orders aim to ensure that we:

• achieve Value for Money for public money spent
• are consistent with the highest standards of integrity
• ensure fairness in allocating public contracts
• comply with all legal requirements, particularly in relation to the Public Contract Regulations (2015) and the Procurement Act 2023 (Post Go Live- 28^th October 2024)
• support the corporate aims and policies of the three organisations
• comply with Procurement policy and procedures of the Commissioner, the Service and the Force

We will award contracts for frequently used commodities and for long-term services. These contracts may be solely for the use of Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service or the Office of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and in some cases for use by other forces, fire services and public bodies.

 

 

Purchasing Procedures

 The method of procuring will depend on the value of the requirement.

 

Contracts valued £1 up to £24,999 (inc. VAT)

• Where no pre-negotiated contract exists a minimum of one quote will be sought. Quotes are obtained directly with suppliers and must be sufficient to demonstrate best value.
• Where a contract exists with fixed pricing an order will be placed directly against the contracted supplier.

 

Contracts valued £25,000 up to £60,000 (inc. VAT)

 Where no pre-negotiated contract or framework agreement exists a minimum of three* quotations will be obtained directly with suppliers.

• Where a contract exists with fixed pricing an order will be placed directly against the contracted Where a framework agreement is being used the terms of the agreement will determine if a further competition is required or a direct award can be made.

 

*Where the estimated value of a proposed contract is more than £25,000 (inc VAT), written quotations must be invited from at least three suitable contractors. The PFCC CFO may authorise that only two, or exceptionally one, quotation(s) be sought if he/she is satisfied, on reasonable grounds that three quotes cannot be obtained. The PCC CFO will record such reasons.

 

Contracts valued £60,001 up to below threshold as set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or Procurement Act 2023 (after October) (inc.VAT)

 Where no pre-negotiated contract exists a competitive process will be followed. We will either use a framework or the requirement will be advertised in the national commercial website Contracts finder: gov.uk/contracts-finder. Suppliers can register with the site in order to receive e-mail alerts of opportunities.

 

Contracts valued over the Public Contracts Regulations threshold.

The thresholds are currently:

• £214,904 for Goods and services
• £5,372,609 for Works
• Where no pre-negotiated contract or framework agreement exists these requirements will be advertised according to procedures set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. This includes publication in the Official Journal of the European The online version can be found at: Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk) However these higher value requirements will also be published in Contracts Finder.

 

Note:

The Commercial team when deciding the optimum commercial strategy for a particular requirement will always consider the use of framework agreements let by public buying organisations (PBOs) as this often offers cost and time saving advantages. These PBO’s will always openly invite bids from suppliers to gain places on their frameworks.

 

Examples of PBOs are:

• Crown Commercial Service (CCS) – https://gov.uk/government/organisations/crown-commercial-service
• Eastern Shires Purchasing organisation (ESPO) – https://espo.org/
• Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) https://www.ypo.co.uk/

Supply opportunities may arise from the tenders issued by these bodies.

 

E-Commercial

 Tender opportunities are managed electronically via a web based tendering portal called bluelight e- tendering. The site can be found at: https://bluelight.eu-supply.com

Suppliers can register in advance of opportunities being listed.  It is free to use and suppliers will have access and be notified about opportunities advertised under the category codes they have registered against.

 

Equality and Diversity

 If you are an existing or potential future supplier, please find linked the Equality and Duty Guidance for Contractors and Suppliers  here

 

Contact us

 The commercial team can be contacted at commercial@northants.pnn.police.uk

 

Terms and conditions

When we are ready to work with a supplier, we will issue a purchase order (PO). We operate a “no PO, no pay” policy. This means we cannot process an invoice without a valid PO number. As such Suppliers should not commence performance of services or supply of goods without an official PO number.

By default all our purchases are subject to our standard terms and conditions unless otherwise agreed with a supplier.  If the purchase order relates to a contract that has already been put in place then the terms and conditions agreed as part of that contract will apply instead. Should you have any queries, please contact the commercial team – commercial@northants.pnn.police.uk