Further competitions

Overview

Once you have selected the CCS framework that meets your requirements, you can ask the suppliers listed to bid, a process called a further competition. This may be run under any CCS framework which has multiple suppliers as an alternative to a direct award.

How to buy

Use CCS’s free eSourcing tool to run a further competition among the suppliers listed against the framework and lot you have selected. Or use your own organisation’s sourcing tool.The main stages of running a further competition are detailed in the buyers’ guides of each agreement. Generally they are:

pre-market engagement with suppliers to help you define requirements (optional)
define your requirements and invitation to tender (ITT)
invite suppliers on the specified agreement and lot to bid by issuing the ITT, requirements document and draft contract
evaluate suppliers’ responses
award a contract to the successful supplier and notify unsuccessful suppliers
include a 10 day standstill period (optional)

Best for:

creating competition for high-value or complex goods and services: anything from stationary to complex facility management contracts.

Not appropriate for:

low-value purchases where the time and cost of running a further competition is disproportionate to the goods and services supplied.
niche goods and services which may only be offered by specialist vendors and not available via CCS agreements
urgent requirements

Payment methods

Purchase order raised within your organisation

Who can use

Any UK public sector organisation, registered social landlords (Housing Associations), and charities.

Time to supply

producing your requirements and ITT documents can take from a few weeks to several months, depending on the complexity of the goods and services.
the time between starting a further competition and delivery will depend on the complexity of your requirements and the number of bids you need to evaluate. You should allow at least 6 to 8 weeks to complete your further competition process.
if you are running a further competition that is assisted by a CCS call-off team, there is a 30 working day service level agreement: 10 days to prepare tender documents; 10 days for suppliers to submit responses; 10 days to evaluate responses and recommend an award.

Pros

thorough, open and fair method to find the best price for complex requirements
reduced timescales in comparison to an OJEU procurement
opportunity to evaluate multiple responses over a range of prices.
terms and conditions can be amended

Cons

slower than direct award
higher administration time and cost than direct award