Invitation to tender

Invitations to tender are used in a competitive tendering process in which suppliers or contractors are able to participate in a procurement process for the supply of specific and clearly defined goods or services during a specified timeframe.

Data has been excluded or redacted from the publication in line with guidance issued by the Local Government Association.  

There are occasions when data items have been removed (redacted) for the following reasons:

•	REDACTED PERSONAL DATA where the data would identify an individual in the context of their private life. 
•	REDACTED COMMERCIAL CONFIDENTIALITY where the release of information could prejudice the conduct of business or was provided in confidence. 
•	REDACTED OTHER where revealing information would compromise security, health & safety or crime prevention.

The Council manage 4 distinct processes – 
1. Tendering, 
2. Awarding a Contract 
3. Ordering Goods and Services via a Purchase Order as required 
4. Paying an Invoice or awarding a Grant. 

This means that the same or similar information may be duplicated over datasets published by the Council. An example of this process would be a contract being advertised via an Invitation to Tender, awarded to a stationery supplier, a purchase order will then be raised to order 200 pens, the goods will be delivered and then an invoice submitted to the Council for payment. This information will be contained in the Invitation to Tender declaration, the Contract Register, Purchase Order Information and the Spend Data. 

It is likely that the values contained in the Invitation to Tender, Contract Register, Purchase Order data and Spend Data will not reconcile. This is because the timeframe whereby each item of data is captured will be different and actual spend varies over time. For example, the Invitation to Tender will be the estimated maximum value for the full contract term at the point the contract is advertised, the Contract Register will be the estimated maximum contract value over the full term, Purchase Orders may reflect requirements over a much shorter time or a single “call off” and the spend declaration reflects when we pay for the goods and services. 

Definitions: 
•	Contracts: documents evidencing a legally binding agreement between two or more parties. Purchase Orders may be raised against these Contracts. 

•	Framework agreements: are legally compliant routes to pre selecting suppliers who are able to supply goods and services. Contracts are awarded to bidders when the work is allocated. Such contracts will be listed on the contract register if they are over £5,000 and are classified as “frameworks”. 

•	Invitations to tender: are open advertisements to the market which represent opportunities for interested parties to express an interest in participating in a competitive procurement process for the supply of goods, services or works.

If you have queries with any of the payments listed in the data, please email foi@rochdale.gov.uk specifying the name of the file you are referring to, the transaction reference or invoice or contract number, the amount and what additional information you require.

Organization: Rochdale Borough Council