Doncaster Council

About e-tendering

One of Doncaster Councils e-procurement initiatives includes a stand-alone module which can be used to seek tenders or quotations. The Supplier and Contract Management System (SCMS) provides information on current and future tenders and awarded contracts from each of the 22 participating councils. The address for the site is:

http://scms.alito.co.uk

The SCMS site has been set up so that internal procurers can download Invitations to tender and Pre Qualification Questionnaires electronically via the Internet. The site enables suppliers to submit all required tender documentation. It contains many confidential documents lodged electronically and to ensure privacy all lodged documents are encrypted.

This system will successfully provide many and varied benefits relating to its functionality. The system was initially selected because of its ease of use, the fact that it was free to use for suppliers and also because the system has been proven over a number of years in a similar environment.

All that is required to use the system as a buyer or supplier is an email address and Internet access. Self-registration is simple and quick and access to the latest information is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In addition to providing improved communication with suppliers, SCMS also provides a high level of transparency and accountability and makes available information relating to the Council's tendering activities via the website. SCMS also provides improved procurement management information on its tendering activities.

By the increased use of SCMS, a reduction in advertising, paper and overhead cost for suppliers and buyers (including postage and handling costs) can be expected. It is estimated that it costs a minimum of £175 to photocopy, collate and post a 'typical' set of tender documents using the traditional tendering methods. This is the minimum amount that can be saved when the tender is totally managed electronically. It is estimated that it costs the supplier £30 to photocopy, collate and deliver a 'typical' tender response.

Furthermore, 'hardcopy' advertising costs can be halved by reducing the size of the advertisement. This represents approximately £15,000 (min) annual saving based on current advertising costs.  

In the future, 'hard copy' advertisements (other than that required by EU) could be phased out increasing the level of savings.

E-tendering can be beneficial in unlocking public sector tendering opportunities for SME's and provides a more secure environment than the traditional hard copy process.