How to do business with Sefton Council
Sefton Council buys a wide range of goods, works and services to enable the delivery of an effective service for the residents of Sefton and as this is public money, we will adhere to UK Procurement law and our own Contract Procedure Rules.
Procurement rules and laws are established to ensure there is no discrimination to bidders and there is equal treatment of all potential bidders/suppliers through fair competition.
Further information is available within our how to do business with the Council guide.
Tender opportunities
Sefton Council places all tender opportunities through the portal ‘The Chest’. This portal provides suppliers with access to tender opportunities from across the whole of the North West of England. Suppliers can register their details and be proactively sent opportunities which may be of interest.
To access tender opportunities for Sefton visit the Government's Find a Tender webpage.
Contract register
Sefton Council also places its contract award notices on ‘The Chest’. Suppliers can view awarded contracts and renewal dates by visiting the Contracts Register.
Social Value
Sefton Council are committed to delivering transformational change and wider social, economic and environmental benefits through our procurement process in order to delivery meaningful benefit to our communities.
What is social value?
Social value can be described as considering the wider benefit gained by our Sefton community, supply and environment through effective spending of our public money.
Examples of effective social value may include:
- Promoting local skills and employment – encouraging recruitment opportunities for Sefton residents, for example, those in disadvantaged groups or young people. Promoting opportunities to improve skills in local schools, colleges and encouraging learning opportunities through apprenticeships.
- Supporting growth of responsible regional business growth – encouraging opportunities to support Sefton supply chains and engaging with SMEs and VCSEs.
- Healthier, safer and more resilient communities – by volunteering or providing donations to Sefton community projects.
- Environment – decarbonising and safeguarding our world and your Borough – by understanding how supplier solutions can positively reduce carbon emissions, air pollution and safeguarding the natural environment in alignment with our Climate Change strategy.
Sefton’s approach to Social Value is addressed in our Ethical Investment Policy which asks us to consider the following core principles when making sourcing decisions:
- Sustainable and responsible – managing the effect on the environment and community for the good of society.
- Value based – investing in businesses that are aligned with the organisations' vision and core purpose.
- Maximising impact – achieving a measurable positive social or environmental impact in addition to value for money.
- Green – improving the environment in alignment with our Climate Change strategy.
When does Social Value apply?
The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 came into force 31st January 2013. Sefton Council is under a legal obligation to consider the social benefits that can be delivered through their procurement processes.
Although it is not compulsory under the Public Services (Social Value) Act to consider social value for contracts under the Public Contract Regulations threshold, Sefton Council consider the relevance of social value on all goods and service tenders over £20,000 and all works tenders over £100,000.
If a supplier can demonstrate that it cannot only deliver efficiency but also added social value, for example, by offering local economic opportunities or green solutions which align with our environmental strategy, then this can be recognised and evaluated as part of our contract award criteria.
For tenders over the value of £100,000 Sefton Council has partnered with Social Value Portal, who provide leading edge evaluation tools to capture suppliers social value offering and to evaluate them effectively. Attached are resources to help suppliers to review our easy guide to social value, how to use social value portal guidance and video clips.
Sefton Payment Acceleration Programme
The Payment Acceleration Programme is an initiative launched to build stronger relationships with key suppliers helping to deliver services to the local electorate, and support cash flow in this critical time.
Sefton's Payment Acceleration Programme offers accelerated payment in exchange for a small percentage fee taken off the invoice value, to cover the cost of the programme. To ensure it's fair, the percentage amount is tied to the number of days your payment is accelerated: no acceleration means no fee.
Below is an example of a standard dynamic discount through the programme -
Supplier agrees a 1% rebate for payment on day 10 and submits an invoice for £100,000 in alignment with the contract.
Payment is taken on day 10 a 1% rebate is given and a payment of £99,000 is made.
Payment is taken on day 20 a 0.5% rebate is given and a payment of £99,500 is made.
Payment is taken on day 30 no rebate is given and a payment of £100,000 is made.
“The Sefton Payment Acceleration Programme will give organisations the opportunity to get paid quicker, improve the purchasing process for the Council and suppliers and support best use of Council resources in order to protect front line services."
Stephan Van Arendsen, Head of Corporate Services
How will the scheme help you?
- Healthier cash flow - Pre-approved access to cash with no borrowing, no credit checks and without consuming any existing credit facilities. With funds in your account earlier, you're in control of your own money, allowing you to invest in other important areas of your business.
- Peace of mind - With reliable early payment, there's no more chasing late or lost invoices, losing valuable man hours within your business. Your resource can be deployed to areas of the business that need it the most. Specialist programme support is available to help whenever you need.
- Better working relationship - With fewer queries on invoice payment, you've got more time to talk about the things that matter to your business. Be on the side of your customer by becoming part of an important initiative that drives social and economic value through the supply chain.
“The Sefton Payment Acceleration Programme benefits everyone, and it fits really well with our Council wide business friendly Sefton approach, helping suppliers cashflow and reducing the time spend on suppliers cash flow and reducing time spent chasing payments.“
Peter Moore, Head of Highways and Public Protection
Find out more
To find out more visit the Sefton Payment Acceleration Programme microsite and guidance notes, or to contact our partner Oxygen Finance, email telesales@oxygen-finance.com or telephone 0121 295 4583.
Registering with Sefton Council as a new supplier
Businesses or providers of goods or service have been successful in being awarded a contract and wish to register as a supplier to the Council or who want to amend details we already hold should complete the new / amendment to supplier details form.
CIPS Professional Ethics accreditation
Sefton Council champion the adoption of the CIPS Professional Ethics accreditation throughout our Procurement team. This accreditation assists us to consolidate our knowledge and demonstrate commitment to addressing issues such as corruption, fraud, bribery and human rights.
“People, profit and planet are important issues for the public, customers, shareholders and employers. For any organisation behaving ethically is about reputation, it makes good business sense. Suppliers will want to work with you, and you will attract the right talent to work for you. Everyone working in our profession needs to be aware of the impact that these issues can have on these key stakeholders.”
Malcolm Harrison Group CEO, CIPS
To find out more about CIPS Professional Ethics accreditation click here.
Case studies
Read the following case study to find out more about our recent G cloud telephony case study where we set up a cloud contact centre at pace ensure service continuity of our customer support team at the height of the pandemic in partnership with technology provider 8x8.
This project was shortlisted for a National GO Procurement award in 2021.
Contact us
Please email central.procurement@sefton.gov.uk if you have any questions about our procurement approach.
| How To Do Business With The Council |  (word 43KB) |
| Health And Safety Guidance For Suppliers |  (pdf 77KB) |
| Standard Terms & Conditions Of Contract | (pdf 518KB) |
| Sefton Payment Acceleration Programme | (pdf 84KB) |
| Code Of Practice Equalities In Procurement | (pdf 166KB) |
| 8X8 G Cloud Telephony Case Study | (pdf 695KB) |
| Using The Social Value Portal Guidance | (pdf 652KB) |
| Social Value Easy Guide | (pdf 774KB) |
| Equality Impact Assessment Sefton Social Value Policy 2023 | (pdf 167KB) |
| Social Value Policy December 2022 | (word 780KB) |
| Sefton Council Contract Procedure Rules 2024 | (pdf 891KB) |