Published
We have provided our members with the below top 10 tips to consider before conducting a further competition for our Temporary and Permanent Staffing framework.
Make sure you are aware of the spend through recruitment agencies and have gathered all the details such as a list of agencies with their spend against it – this will help you to decide what the best route going forward is for example a Preferred Supplier Agreement (PSL) or a Master Vendor Approach
If you have a quick need for example a member of staff has called in sick and you need a supply teacher then you can use the CPC Quick Quote Tool for a one-off quick request.
Our recommendation would be to only look at a Master Vendor Approach if your spend exceeds £50k in order to gain the benefits of using a Master Vendor as suppliers don’t tend to bid for a Master Vendor unless the spend is above £50k. This is due to the amount of work which goes in to being a Master Vendor supplier.
If your spend is under £50k, you may want to look at other institutions in your area and see if they would like to work together in tendering for a Master Vendor Approach and suppliers can link the systems and you will more likely receive bids.
When going out to tender, CPC have created templates for members use – Please decide whether you wish to know the Day Rate from suppliers or the Hourly Rate, this can differ between Schools and Academies – Colleges and Universities however it is up to the institution on their preferred method
It is also crucial when undertaking a further competition (whether it be for a PSL or Master Vendor) that you include the institutions pay rates. This is so the suppliers can price accurately as post 12 weeks they have to match the institutions pay scale.
All of the Call-off terms and Conditions have been pre-agreed however non-material changes can be negotiated with Suppliers. We would advise not to include the terms and conditions in the further competition checklist as you may receive a large amount of clarifications from suppliers requesting negotiations on the Call-off Terms and Conditions. This could cause stress and a lot of time wasted negotiating terms with suppliers who may not be awarded.
CPC created a further competition document with questions which were asked in the original tender process, please can you ensure you drill these questions down to meet your own requirements. Ask questions that relate to you and the expectations of your institution.
If you are tendering for a Master Vendor Approach, it is recommended that you include a meeting with the suppliers during the further competition process to allow the suppliers to demonstrate their systems. This will allow you to have a look at each system and be confident that it can integrate well with your own internal system.
When conducting a further competition please allow enough time for suppliers to respond, a minimum of 2-3 weeks so you receive good quality bids.
When conducting a further competition for a Master Vendor approach, please consider the contractual length for example a Master Vendor may take 1 year to fully implement, and you will not see the benefits until after the first year. Therefore a 1 year/ 2 year contract isn’t always attractive for suppliers. A minimum of 3 years is usually what is expected for a Master Vendor.
For any further assistance please don’t hesitate to contact the Contract Manager Ria Logan on 01619740955 [email protected]