Doing business with the Council

We are committed to obtaining the maximum benefit for every taxpayer's pound we spend. This means using our resources in the best possible way, and delivering public services at a reasonable cost. To do this, we must make sure that all Council purchasing achieves value for money.

This does not mean that we will always buy the cheapest product or service, but consider quality and cost when deciding what we buy and who from, sometimes this means buying something rather than providing the service or goods ourselves.

How to register for current tender opportunities

The Council uses an E-procurement system to buy the vast majority of our goods, works and services rather than a paper based system.

All elements, from the initial ordering to the invoicing and payment, is carried out electronically to streamline processes and reduce costs.

The system we, and councils across the North East, use to advertise contracts and invite or receive tenders is ProContract. Suppliers need to be registered to receive notification of opportunities and to return a quote or tender. To register use the free  ProContract Supplier Registration.

All our tenders and tender opportunities are currently advertised on the  ProContract system.

However, the Council will be moving to a new e-procurement system designed and developed by NEPO called Open.

In 2024 the Open system will gradually replace the ProContract system currently used. Suppliers will use the new system to find and compete for local authority procurement opportunities and it is therefore imperative for all suppliers to register on the new Open system. Registration is free, quick and easy to complete which can be done by visiting NEPO's website.

Our procurement procedures and rules

We have well-established procedures for offering work or buying products and services.

We do not usually respond to unsolicited enquiries or applications. The procedures we follow can vary depending on what we are buying as well as its value.

For contracts under to £179,087 and over £15,000 at least four written quotes will be obtained. 

Read more about the contract procedure rules in our Constitution, part 3.221.

 For contracts of over to £179,087 where there is no in-house provider or corporate contract for what we want to purchase, a competitive tendering process is followed. This means asking organisations to submit competitive bids (tenders) to us. By doing this we can ensure that public money is spent in a way that is fair, open, honest and accountable.

New procurement legislation coming soon

From 24 February 2025 procurement legislation for contracts over a certain threshold will change from the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 to the Procurement Act 2023.

The new legislation is designed to change the way the public sector buys goods and services. It will help make better use of public resources to deliver better public services and grow the economy. A key aim of the act is to make it easier for suppliers to do business with the public sector. The existing rules will apply for contracts that are already in place and for those started under the current regime. For all new procurements from 24 February 2025, it is important that suppliers understand the changes.

The Cabinet Office are leading the Transforming Public Procurement programme. They provide regular updates and supplier-specific knowledge drops on their website and via a regular newsletter. We recommend you subscribe to their mailing list to ensure you're kept up to date on the latest news and information.

Contract register

We maintain a register of current contracts. This information is available to give your organisation an overview of the Council's current contracts.

This list is updated on a regular basis so please check back for the most up to date information.

If you have any queries about the contract register, contact the Procurement Team by email CorporateProcurement@stockton.gov.uk.

View the contract register

Standard terms and conditions

We have standard terms and conditions for the purchase of goods, services and consultancy. These do not vary and all organisations doing business with us are required to comply. For some contracts we will also have a set of "special terms and conditions" which are bespoke to the contract and if these are required they will be issued to bidding organisations as part of the pack of tender documents.

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