Suppliers and contractors – how it works
Invoicing and purchase orders
How we place orders with our suppliers
Before a supplier provides us with any goods and/or services an official purchase order (PO) must be received. This PO is a commitment by us to spend the value with a supplier; the PO number must be quoted on all invoices presented to us, if no PO is quoted the invoice will be returned unpaid.
The addresses for both the delivery of the supplies/services and the receipt of invoices are clearly shown on the purchase order.
How we pay our suppliers
The standard payment terms are 30 days from receipt of a valid invoice. To ensure that payment is dealt with efficiently and to avoid delays we ask that the invoice:
- quotes a valid purchase order (PO) number
- submitted to the address quoted on the order
- adds up correctly, particularly the VAT amount
- includes as much information as possible about what the payment is for
- only includes requests for payment of supplied goods, services or works
We make payment by BACS in order to ensure that the payment in credited directly into the contractors/suppliers bank account.
Any invoice that does not quote a valid PO number will be returned, unpaid to the supplier.
Our vision and priorities drives the work of the entire council. It describes our overall objectives as a council and the type of place we want Central Bedfordshire to be - a great place to live and work.
We have clear and explicit ambitions for Central Bedfordshire, informed by our residents’ views:
- enhancing the local community – creating jobs, managing growth, protecting our countryside and enabling businesses to grow.
- improved educational attainment
- promote health and well being and protect the vulnerable
- better infrastructure – improved roads, broadband reach and transport
- great universal services – bins, leisure and libraries
- value for money – freezing council tax
It describes our overall objectives as a council and the type of place we want Central Bedfordshire to be - a great place to live and work.
Delivery of our priorities is increasingly reliant on a supply chain of some 3,500 principle suppliers and their supply chain of subcontractors and suppliers.
The supply chain, from the local one person SMEs to the national company with their own integrated supply chains, is a critical delivery arm of the council, an important partner.
We look for closer collaboration with suppliers and contractors to the extent that they consider themselves part of the Central Bedfordshire during the life span of their contracts.
We need the supply chain to represent our values to our community, as if it is us delivering services.
This is because it is often our suppliers and contractors who interact with the public in the provision of services on a daily basis e.g. waste collection and roads maintenance.
We want to ensure our suppliers and contractors understand our values. It seeks to ensure that the supply chain delivers services according to our values in the way they work for the community on behalf of and with us. At its heart, it is about improving the customer experience.
Our values
Our values underpin and inform everything that we do. They guide how we interact with people, both internally and externally. They act as a shared code of conduct, setting out how we work with each other and with others. Our values connect us under one set of shared goals, language, and behaviours, underpinning and informing everything that we do at the Council. They describe the type of organisation we want to be and guide us in achieving our vision.
Our values are:
- Together - We succeed by working collaboratively, making the best use of our resources, avoiding duplication and aligning our efforts
- Empowering - Everyone has a contribution to make. We encourage everyone to share ideas and challenge how we do things
- Ambitious - We focus on delivering meaningful results to make a difference for our residents and communities
- Mutual respect - We value diversity and treat everyone with fairness and dignity. Everyone is valued
Standards by which we work / do business
We encourage local and regional businesses to tender for public sector contracts in Central Bedfordshire.
Our business standards are clear, straightforward and consistently applied.
Central Bedfordshire is a good place to do business and we expect to ‘walk the talk’ applying our values in the way we interact with suppliers, treating suppliers fairly and ensuring prompt payment for example.
If we fall short of expectations, we expect suppliers to tell us so we have an opportunity for improvement.
In summary we are:
- fair
- non-discriminatory
- professional
- a long established organisation
- prompt to pay
If any company is interested in pursuing business opportunities with us, they should respond as requested to an advertisement or contact the officer responsible for that area of business.
We have a dedicated website which enables suppliers to register the details of their business.
For guidance please see our In-Tend Supplier Guide which gives an overall guide to the system and covers registration, tenders, correspondence and clarification.
If you wish to take part in a current tender exercise, you will need to follow the instructions set out in the tender advertisement.
Terms and Conditions
For information these are our standard terms and conditions. Some contracts will have additional or varied terms and conditions which will be clarified during the tender process.