Tender documents guide

Templates for departments running their own tender process

This page sets out templates for departments running their own tender process for goods or services up to the value of £125,000 (excl. VAT). A Tender Checklist  is also available.

Invitation to tender

This document gives suppliers a brief outline of the University and also contains important information that should be made known to suppliers at the outset i.e. the University will not be responsible for any costs incurred in submitting a tender.

It also gives suppliers a clear indication of the various steps involved in the process and the required deadline dates.

There are some parts of this document that will need to be populated with details that are pertinent to your particular requirements. These areas are clearly marked in the document.

Specification

Departments are free to draw up their own specification. If departments require assistance this document provides the categories of information that should be provided for the supplier to compile a response, however the document is by no means exhaustive and departments are encouraged to include as much information as possible at this stage.

Supplier questionnaire

This is a short questionnaire designed to provide departments with some essential information about the potential suppliers. Additional questions may be added if required.

If the Supplier Questionnaire is not used it is recommended that as a minimum you complete the checks set out in the Supplier Suitability Checklist to confirm the supplier is suitable to undertake the work and conduct business with the University.

Tender evaluation

Below are listed a number of criteria that could be used when evaluating a supplier's tender response.

A degree of weighting needs to be applied to these criteria and all of this information should be made available to the supplier in the invitation to tender documentation.

  • Quality, reliability and safety
  • Whole life cost
  • Technical and product support, innovation & development
  • Warranty, training and service proposals
  • Delivery lead-time
  • Sustainability factors such as environmental, social and economic
  • Compatibility with existing equipment

A blank evaluation matrix and scoring guide are available for use:

Conduct guidance

This document is a short guidance note providing advice on appropriate conduct when participating in a tender process.

Contact details

For further information, please contact:
The Purchasing Department
Telephone: 01865 (6) 16022
Email: purchasing@admin.ox.ac.uk

 

Documents

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