FAQs

The Supplier Area  shows all GHA's contract adverts  along with all the information that you need for doing business with us. If you are a supplier interested in selling to  GHA, you need to regularly check the Tender Adverts page for new adverts relating to your area of business. Within each advert there will be details of how to express interest.

The Supplier Development Programme's main priority is to build awareness and provide information, education and training on public procurement and contract opportunities. This prepares businesses to reach the stage required to tender for public contracts whilst delivering transferable business skills that will improve their overall competitiveness and profitability.

The benefits of using The Supplier Area are:

• Access to information about doing business with GHA
• On-line access to GHA advertisements for tender.

The range of goods and services required is vast. Examples include: All investment and regeneration contracts; corporate contract, new build, office equipment, stationery, vehicles, cleaning materials, furniture, window cleaning, catering, pest control, consultants, roofing, plumbing and glazing.

• Check the Tender Adverts link on the GHA website for forthcoming opportunities.
• Check local newspapers and trade journals for advertisements placed by GHA seeking tenders for goods, works and services.
• Check the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) for contracts above the European thresholds. These can be viewed at www.ojec.com/

We have a legal requirement to comply with the European Union (EU) procurement directives, which govern the way in which public sector procurement is conducted for contracts above specified thresholds.

The thresholds for 2009 are:

  Under the EU Procurement Directives, GHA can conduct their procurement using one of three processes:

• Open: any organisation can express an interest and request tender documents. 
• Restricted: a two-stage process. Any organisation can express an interest. They then undergo a pre-qualification assessment. Only the most suitable applicants are invited to tender.
• Negotiated: all organisations who express an interest undergo an initial prequalification assessment. GHA, under limited circumstances, will then negotiate with one or two suitable contractors. Alternatively, GHA will use Scotland Excel, click here for more details.

Where our procurements exceed the above thresholds, we must follow these basic requirements:

• Decide which of the three processes should be used;
• Publish a tender notice in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) to give all EU suppliers an equal opportunity to tender
• Invite tenders according to the procedure being used (open, restricted or negotiated) taking account of the minimum timescales imposed, to ensure that reasonable time is given to respond to adverts and prepare submissions
• Use the criteria published in the tender notice
• Place a contract award notice in OJEU. 

If your company is interested in tendering for a GHA contract, you should lodge an official Expression of Interest. Details of how to do this will be given in the Contract Notice details of the advert. GHA will set a deadline for the submission of the Expressions of Interest. After the deadline has passed, all of the Expressions of Interest that have been received will be opened at the same time to ensure fairness. Suppliers will be invited to tender from that point. 

The Contract notice or advertisement will detail whether an Open or Restricted procedure is being followed.

Each tender process will require the supplier to provide the following information:

• Financial Information: Details from each of the last 3 years is required. Private and public limited companies must submit their fully audited accounts as registered with Companies House. Other suppliers should forward copies of financial statements, business plans or a certified statement of turnover. This information is assessed to ensure the company is financially stable enough for the contract in question. Other financial details, for instance insurance cover, may also be required. 
• Equal Opportunities: GHA supports equal opportunity laws, and requires all suppliers to comply with equal opportunities legislation. Suppliers will be asked to detail and possibly provide evidence of how equality issues are included in a company's employment practices. 
• Environment: GHA is committed to protecting the local environment and ensuring a better quality of life for all. GHA expects its contractors to meet similar levels of environmental care. Suppliers will be asked to provide information and evidence for each tender proving commitment to environmental issues. 
• Health and Safety: GHA is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for everyone it works with and for. Suppliers must provide information about their company's safety policies, operational safety procedures and risk assessments. 
• Experience and Technical Ability: GHA needs to assess whether a company has the relevant experience, resources and technical ability to carry out the categories of work or to provide the type and quality of service required. Suppliers should provide details of similar work carried out over recent years. They must also provide contact details of at least 3 referees with whom confidential references can be directly obtained by GHA. Further details may be required for particular contracts. 

In an open procedure all suppliers who register an Expression of Interest in a contract are invited to tender whereas in the Restricted procedure only those who fulfil certain requirements are invited to tender.

As long as certain criteria are met e.g. financial stability, satisfactory Health and Safety environments and that services are provided to a high quality at a competitive cost, there is no reason why companies cannot attract business from GHA. GHA requires fairness and equality of treatment in awarding contracts in line with achieving best value for the tax payer.

You need to clearly demonstrate in responding to tenders that you can meet the required standards and service delivery requirements at an economically advantageous cost.

If you are invited to tender you will receive the following documents:

• Letter of Invitation which will advise when, where and how tenders should be submitted.
• Instructions to Tenderers which provides guidance for completing tender documentation.
• Specification which sets out what needs to be achieved and includes policies, procedures and guidelines that need to be followed. Tenderers are expected to tender on the basis of this specification. The specification will include performance targets or criteria to be met in delivering the services, supplies or works.
• Pricing Schedule, which is the document where you enter your quotes for the specified services or products.
• Terms and Conditions.
• Tender Evaluation Criteria which advises how the tender submission will be evaluated and the contract awarded.

Tenders must be returned by the time and date given. Any tenders received after the deadline will be returned unopened to the sender. All tender documents are opened at the same time in order to ensure a fair process.

GHA rarely evaluates a tender based purely on price. GHA is looking for the best balance of quality and price, not just the lowest price. Tenders will be evaluated in a number of areas which may include:

• Quality 
• Financial Viability 
• Competence 
• Experience 
• Technical Merit 
• After Sales Service 
• Delivery Date 
• Technical Back up 
• Adherence to GHA Policies and Protocols 
• Integrity 
• Innovation 
• Communication

You must return the tender by the date given. Any tenders received after the deadline will be returned to the sender. All tender documents are opened at the same time in order to ensure a fair process.

We expect excellent performance from contractors and suppliers throughout the contract. We need to ensure we offer value for money services to GHA tenants and owners. This includes: 

• Low total cost - not only a low price but low administration costs. You should consider the whole life costs of supply when putting together your tender. 
• Quality - you will be expected to provide to an appropriate quality standard to meet the needs set out in the specification. 
• Adherence to GHA policies and protocols. 
• Integrity and honesty are expected in all dealings between GHA and its contractors. Tenderers risk being excluded from the procurement process for failing to observe this requirement. 
• Communication - suppliers are expected to maintain good communications with GHA throughout the contract.

GHA has an obligation to offer the best value for money services to our tenants and owners. GHA requires an exceptional standard of performance from its contractors and suppliers. When selecting a supplier, GHA must ensure that the supplier will provide value for money, and that services will be delivered effectively. In the list of evaluation criteria, cost and quality are the most important criteria. GHA is looking for the best balance of quality and price, not just the lowest price.

Details of the specific evaluation criteria and the relative weighting of these criteria are included in the tender documents that suppliers receive with the invitation to tender.

At any time during the tender process suppliers may be invited to give a presentation or attend an interview to aid the evaluation process. GHA may also conduct site visits to see first hand how potential suppliers organise their work.

This is to ensure that transparency and honesty is maintained throughout the process. However, we are happy to answer questions specifically about the tender and specification should you have any. We need to ensure consistency in the information provided to suppliers and in the way in which we communicate with them.

Contracts are awarded to the supplier who is considered to offer best value for money when taking into account price, quality and best value, as well as ability to meet GHA's specification.

Tender evaluation is always carried out in a comprehensive, auditable and transparent manner. To ensure fairness, the evaluation criteria and method will be clearly defined before tender documents are issued. The criteria to be used will be listed in the tender documents, in order of importance. The weightings of the criteria may also be given. Prior to the awards being given, unsuccessful bidders have a 10 day period to lodge any complaints about the ruling.

You will be expected to provide the service in accordance with the requirements set out in the contract papers and your proposals on how to carry it out. Suppliers and contractors working for GHA are regularly monitored to assess their compliance with predefined performance criteria. The contract conditions are strictly applied and explanations sought if a contractor fails to perform to the levels required.

As a regulated body we are bound by a number of rules and regulations in terms of how we conduct procurement. Most significant are the EU Procurement Directives, which aim to ensure that the procurement process remains fair, transparent and open to all regardless of where they are based in the EU.

Under EU directives suppliers are legally entitled to request feedback on any unsuccessful bids made to GHA. Within the limits of confidentiality, unsuccessful suppliers can be told which aspects of their bid were strongest, which were weakest and may be advised on how to improve and develop for the future. Being unsuccessful in one contract does not mean you will be unsuccessful in future contracts. Feedback should be used to help improve any future bids made.

If you are seeking information regarding a specific contract please use the contact details provided in the advert/contract notice and tendering details.

Electronic tendering (e-tendering) is carrying out the traditional tendering process in an electronic form, using the internet. Using Delta-ets GHA can:

• Advertise tenders 
• Receive bids 
• Award contract / PO 
• Evaluate tenders 

Using e-tendering, the suppliers can:

• Receive notification of the relevant tenders 
• Submit bids on-line

The Prior Information Notice (PIN) is the annual or occasional advertisement in the Official Journal of the European Union, advising the contracting community of Glasgow Housing Association(GHA) future procurement plans. PINs are intended to ensure that interested parties have as much time as possible to prepare for participation.

The Prior Information Notice is intended to provide an indication of future demand and as such GHA will not replace or amend the published information should the requirement change.

Please note publication of a PIN does not commit GHA to tender the requirements referred to in the Prior Information Notice.

Currently there are no tendering opportunities available through this PIN.

Any tendering opportunities will be advertised for example on the OJEU and GHA websites, and those looking for these opportunities should continue to monitor these sources of information.

What is the Supplier Development Programme?