Before using this agreement, you should read the customer guidance document.
For more information about what you can buy through this agreement, watch our short video. Once you have downloaded the video you will be able to access a transcript.
Pre-market Engagement
Pre-market engagement is an essential step in any procurement activity and we recommend that you make sure there is enough time in your procurement project to carry it out. It will help you to decide on the best route to market, refine your needs and will also increase the suppliers’ awareness and interest in your potential procurement.
Further competition
Further competitions can be run on all 7 lots.
You can use your own eSourcing system or you can use our eSourcing tool to run your further competition. If this is your first time using our eSourcing suite, you will need to register for an eSourcing account.
If you have already registered, sign in to your eSourcing account.
Read guidance about the eSourcing tool.
To run a further competition you will need to:
- take part in pre-market engagement with suppliers to help you define your needs (optional but recommended)
- identify the suppliers that can meet your needs and develop your specification
- make sure your specification is detailed and includes timescales
- complete your further competition documents, such as:
- invitation to tender
- evaluation criteria
- draft order form
- invite all identified suppliers to submit a tender in writing (this could be by email or through your preferred e-Sourcing tool)
- set a time limit for the submission of tenders, (take into account the time needed to create and submit tenders and the complexity of your needs)
- keep each tender confidential until the time limit set out for the return of tenders has ended
- evaluate supplier responses (make sure you evaluate all suppliers equally and fairly)
- award your call-off contract by sending the following to the successful supplier:
- provide unsuccessful suppliers with written feedback on why their tenders were unsuccessful using the unsuccessful supplier letter
- publish your contract on contracts finder for transparency purposes
To help you run your further competition, read our further competition guide.
Direct Award
Direct award is available under lot 7. All the products and services from lots 1 to 5 will be available in the catalogue under lot 7. It is a suitable route to market for relatively straightforward and low value needs, where you will gain no additional benefits from running a further competition. You can find supplier offers in the government eMarketplace
If this is your first time using our Government eMarketplace portal, you will need to sign up to the government eMarketplace.
To direct award under this agreement you should:
- clearly define your needs by developing your specification
- establish which lots fit your need by reading the agreement specification
- contact the suppliers on the relevant lot(s)
- establish your award criteria using Framework schedule 7 call-off award procedure
- award your contract by signing Framework schedule 6
- publish your contract on Contracts Finder
For more details on how to run a direct award, read our direct award guidance. You can also watch our presentation which provides an overview on the Basware customer journey.
Aggregation
- we bring together customers with similar needs through our aggregation service
- we use the volume to influence greater commercial benefits for customers
- we manage the procurement process from start to finish
For more information, email the team.