Procurement

We spend in excess of £370 million per annum on goods, works and services, and this has a significant impact on the quality of life for our community. It is vital that we have a strategic approach to procurement to ensure that goods, works and services are procured as efficiently and effectively as possible.

We have a devolved approach to purchasing, where the purchasing activities of each of the Council’s five departments are the direct responsibility of individual budget holders who have the ability to place orders and tender for contracts.

The Procurement Unit’s role is to ensure that Departmental Lead Officers have the appropriate support and guidance to procure goods, works and services professionally. All procurement activity adheres to relevant procedures, rules, and regulations to ensure we obtain best value for money at all times and is undertaken in an open, transparent and non-discriminatory manner.

The Procurement Act 2023, came into effect on 24 February 2025. This replaces the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) and introduces a simplified, more transparent, and flexible public procurement framework in the UK*

 As a reminder the process that should be followed when seeking quotes are as follows:

1. For Purchases valued up to £10,000 our Contract procedure Rules require Officers ‘should be satisfied that best value for money has been obtained, and that reasonable care has been taken to obtain goods, works or services of adequate quality at a competitive price.’
2. For Purchases between £10,000 and £30,000 ‘a minimum of 3 quotations should be sought from competitive sources and confirmed in writing, by letter, fax or e-mail.
3. An Expression of Interest (EOI) is required to request any support to undertake a procurement exercise which is in excess of £30,000

IMPORTANT: For purchases below £30,000 officers are requested to ‘Think Carmarthenshire First’ when seeking quotations for the purchase of Goods, Works or Services. Please therefore, explore the market place to establish if there are any businesses within Carmarthenshire that can provide the goods / service that you are seeking to purchase and include them in your invites to quote.

 

*All Contracts/Frameworks entered into prior to 24 February 2025 will remain subject to the previous regulations (Public Contracts Regulations 2015) and will not be affected by the changes introduced under the New Procurement Act 2023.

The Corporate Procurement Unit team provides advice, support and guidance on procurement. If you have a question please speak to one of our team.