Procurement FAQs
General questions that have been submitted to the Procurement Team for an answer.
Frequently asked procurement questions.
There may be a procurement question that you would like answered or receive information on. The Council would like to develop this page to share this information with other people and organisations that wish to do business with us.
All questions received will be personally answered, but we will publish the questions and answers given anonymously (see below). If you have a question on the Council's procurement processes please email procurement@lbhf.gov.uk.
FAQs
Q. What are the different types of contracts?
A. There are 3 types: Works, Supplies and Services
Q. What are financial thresholds?
A. Before the Council seeks expressions of interest from organisations to provide work, supplies or services it has to calculate the likely estimated value of the contract(s). All public bodies (including the Council) are governed by procurement rules arising out of the European Union. The estimated value will determine which procedure must be used and this is governed by type.
Q. What is the financial threshold for works contracts?
A. The estimated financial threshold for works contracts is £3,611,474. Above this level a contract notice must be published in the "Official Journal of the European Union"
Q. What is the financial threshold for supplies contracts?
A. The estimated financial threshold for works contracts is £144,459. Above this level a contract notice must be published in the "Official Journal of the European Union"
Q. What is the financial threshold for a service contracts?
A. The estimated financial threshold for works contracts is £3144,459. For certain contracts (mainly IT, property, maintenance & repair, financial, transport, advertising, market reseach, building cleaning, and architectural) a contract notice must be published in the "Official Journal of the European Union" if this threshold is triggered. For other types of service contracts (e.g. health, social services, legal, personnel services, educational and recreational) the requirements are not so onerous.
Q. What is an Approved List?
A. An Approved List is a reqister of contractors or service providers that have responsed to a Contract Notice placed on the Council's web-site and/or other publication(s) seeking expressions of interest mainly from the private and voluntary sectors and who meet the Council's minimum requirements in terms of technical capability, financial standing, equalities (if it is a core service) and Health and Safety. The Approved List is usually compiled from organisations that have completed an application form (otherwise known as a pre-qualification questionnaire).
Q. If I want to join the Council's approved list how can I go about joining it?
A. The Council's corporate approved list for construction related works is run through a separate web-site - www.e-approvedlists.org.uk. This website explains how the system works. For all other Approved Lists (e.g. consultants) these are run by departments and Contract Notices will appear from time to time here on the Council's website.
