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We publish our tender opportunities on the e-tendering portal The Chest.

When considering a potential supplier's suitability we will look at the following areas:

Financial information

Companies may be requested to supply audited accounts for their previous two financial years. These are used to assess the company's financial capability in relation to the value of the contract.

We appreciate that some potential suppliers/providers/contractors will be unable to comply with this request, particularly if they are a relatively new organisation. Therefore we will review the potential risks associated with individual procurement exercises and will not discriminate unreasonably against new/smaller suppliers.

Potential suppliers will be expected to have public liability and employee liability insurance, in the majority of procurement exercises. The Council's minimum cover for public and employee liability is £5 million but this may vary dependent on the actual exercise.

Organisations will not be eliminated from any exercise if the values of their insurances are below the minimum value at the time of their application. However if they are successful in their application they will be expected to increase their insurance levels accordingly.

Social value

Bury Council is committed to delivering social value through service design, commissioning and procurement activity. Social value is the term used to describe the wider social, environmental and economic benefit that might be obtained whenever services are designed, commissioned or procured.

The Council supports the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Social Value Policy and is working with Association of Greater Manchester (AGMA) partners to implement procedures and common measurement tools.

Delivering social value is about getting more social, environmental and economic benefit from the money we spend. We share the GMCA core objectives of:

  • promoting employment and economic sustainability
  • raising the living standards of local residents
  • promoting participation and citizen engagement;
  • building capacity and sustainability of the voluntary and community sector
  • promoting equity and fairness
  • promoting environmental sustainability

We consider the relevance of these objectives in commissioning and procurement activity and aim to secure maximum benefit to the people of Bury.

Health and Safety

We believe in providing a safe environment for our employees, service users and those affected by our operations. Therefore dependant on the nature of the procurement exercise we will seek relevant health and safety information as needed.

Experience and technical ability

We will require details of similar work undertaken previously, and potential suppliers will be expected to provide references. Information regarding the experience and technical ability of the supplier and its staff will also be requested. This is to ensure potential suppliers meet the needs of the contract. Again specific information requests may be tailored to suit an individual contract.

Disclosure & Barring Service Information

We follow guidelines outlined by the Disclosure & Barring Service in respect of the disclosure of criminal background of those with access to children and vulnerable adults.