Procurement policy

As a public sector organisation the prime objective of our procurement is to achieve best value for money (VFM). Best VFM is the optimum combination of whole life costs and quality to meet the customer's requirements.

Our procurement procedures, detailed in our Procurement Policy Manual, depend on the value and nature of what is being purchased.

All our business opportunities/contract opportunities over £50,000 are advertised on the Public Contracts Scotland website. You can express your interest in these opportunities by registering as a supplier on the site. You will then be notified of any contracts which you can apply for.

As a public sector organisation the prime objective of our procurement is to achieve best Value for Money (VFM). Best VFM is the optimum combination of whole life costs and quality to meet the customer's requirements. SDS has retained the Superior Ranking in the independent Procurement Capability Assessment (PCA) having increased our PCA score to 94% and we've been shortlisted for two Government Opportunities Excellence in Public Procurement Awards.

Framework agreements

For certain requirements we may select suppliers through existing framework agreements.

Mini-competitions being conducted through existing framework agreements include:

• Procurement Scotland
• Government Procurement Service.

Suppliers' Charter

We fully support the Scottish Government Suppliers' Charter with regard to how we treat our suppliers in our tender processes.

Read the Suppliers' Charter on the Scottish Government website.

Law and Conditions of Purchase

Public sector procurement is a legal process and we are required to adhere to EU legal requirements.

Purchase orders are issued through our Finance System. We have a no purchase order - no payment policy. Suppliers require to have received a purchase order before they undertake a commitment on behalf of SDS.  

The terms and conditions below are applied to our purchase orders. Short form terms and conditions  for low value purchase orders and long form terms and conditions for high value purchase (£50,000 and above).

Standard terms and conditions (short form)

Standard terms and conditions (long form)

Sustainable Procurement

We recognise the need to drive sustainable procurement in all our purchasing activities and fully endorse the Scottish Government's Sustainable Procurement Action Plan. Using this Action Plan we will work with the Scottish Government to produce a Skills Development Scotland Delivery Plan with the aim of providing effective sustainable procurement.

The Action Plan identifies 10 steps to sustainable procurement and which we will follow in order to improve the sustainability of our procurement activity.

Supplier Development

The Supplier Development Programme (SDP) is a local authority partnership prgramme established to offer Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to grow and diversify through engaging with Public Sector organisations.

On the SDP website you will find tips for responding to public tenders as well as help with policies. In addition the SDP also provides workshops to cover specific topics relating to completing pre-qualification questionnaires and tenders for public sector.