3rd Party Grants

A minimum of 1 written Quotation must be obtained, retained and presented to Project officers.

Best value for money must be obtained and reasonable care must be taken to obtain goods, works or services of adequate quality at a competitive price. A documented record to support the decision must be retained for audit purposes

Please note that the invoice for goods/services/works received is not acceptable and a quote needs to be provided from the supplier to demonstrate that the- applicant has ascertained value for money.

Where there are consumables being acquired under the value of £500, this can be considered as an exception these rules, and no quote will need to obtained for these item(s). Please note that you must submit a written request in advance of the purchase to your project manager for this to be approved.    

A minimum of 3 written Quotations must be sought from competitive sources

The quotes must be based on the same specification, and a closing date to return the quote by must be given. All quotations must be evaluated on a like for like basis.

A documented record of the quotes sought, the evaluation process and the decision to award must be retained   for audit purposes.

If only one quotation is received, you must contact the Project Manager from Carmarthenshire County Council (CCC) to provide details and justification of the procurement process you have undertaken. The decision to proceed to purchase will be approved by CCC on a case-by-case basis. In circumstances where it is evident that more than one quotation could be sought, there may be a requirement to advertise via Sell2Wales

A minimum of 4 tenders must be sought from competitive sources, with a minimum of 2 tenders to be received.

All those tendering must be provided with the same information: the same specification of requirements: an outline of the evaluation criteria against which the tender will be evaluated and the same closing date for receipt of tenders, after which no tenders will be accepted.

The evaluation process you follow must be consistent with the original evaluation criteria outlined and an evaluation report produced detailing on what basis the successful tender was awarded. It is best practice to establish an evaluation panel to evaluate tenders.

If only one tender is received, you must contact the Project Manager from Carmarthenshire County Council (CCC) to provide details and justification of the procurement process you have undertaken. The decision to proceed to purchase must be approved by CCC on a case-by-case basis. In circumstances where it is evident that more than one tender could be sought, there may be a requirement for the applicant to advertise via Sell2Wales

A minimum of 4 tenders must be sought from competitive sources with a minimum of 3 tenders to be received

All those tendering must be provided with the same information: the same a specification of requirements, an outline of the evaluation criteria against which the contract will be awarded and the same closing date for receipt of tenders, after which no tenders will be accepted.

The evaluation process you follow must be consistent with the original evaluation criteria outlined and an evaluation report produced detailing on what basis the successful tender was awarded.  It is best practice to establish an evaluation panel to evaluate tenders.

Please note that for specific grant schemes in relation to capital works projects, applicants must ensure that they follow the guidelines of the funding body as there may be specific requirements and processes that must be followed.

Please make sure that you have discussed this with your Project officer\manager.

If only one or two tender(s) is received, you must contact the Project Manager from Carmarthenshire County Council (CCC) to provide details and justification of the procurement process you have undertaken. The decision to proceed to purchase must be approved by CCC on a case-by-case basis.  In circumstances where it is evident that more than one tender could be sought, there will be a requirement for the applicant to advertise via Sell2Wales.

For works contracts in excess of £250k in value:

As a minimum, due diligence such as Companies House checks, VAT number checks, Website checks etc, as well as financial checks must be undertaken on the preferred contractor following the evaluation and prior to contract award.

If a contract for Goods or Services is likely to exceed £214,904 (inclusive of VAT) the applicant must inform the project manager to determine whether the contract will be subject to the Procurement Act 2023 

If a contract for works is likely to exceed £5,372,609 (inclusive of VAT) the applicant must inform the project manager to determine whether the contract will be subject to the Procurement Act 2023

Applicants are requested to ‘Think Carmarthenshire First’ when seeking quotations for the purchase of Goods/Services and Works. Please therefore, explore the marketplace to establish if there are any businesses within Carmarthenshire that can provide the goods / service or works that you are seeking to purchase. Applicants may be required to demonstrate such quotations have been sought.

If you are in a situation where you have difficulty in identifying the minimum number of suppliers required and/or would like to vary or attract new suppliers to quote or tender it is possible for you to advertise on the National Procurement website, www.Sell2Wales.co.uk. Advertising via Sell2Wales is best practice, however you may feel that you are better able to identify potential suppliers who could provide the best overall offer.

This facility is available to you free of charge, please visit the Sell2Wales website http://www.sell2wales.gov.uk/ and contact the website helpline on 0800 222 9004 for further information.

For spend above £10,000 it is essential that the quotes/tenders are sought from appropriate suppliers for the goods, works or services required. In circumstances where it is evident that unsuitable quotes/tenders have been sought, there may be a requirement to advertise via Sell2Wales.

As part of the assessment process you are required to carry out due diligence checks on the supplier/contractor you plan to use to deliver the grant. The purpose of these checks is to verify that the company is a bona fide company. These checks include - checking the company’s details on company’s house, checking that the VAT number included in the application is correct and matches the company’s details.  Checks may also be appropriate on company websites to view the company’s portfolio and the type of work and projects that company have previously undertaken. This offers certainty that they would be suitable for the proposed project.

We recognise that it is possible that applicants / developers or persons connected with them (such as relatives, business partners or friends) may wish to tender for a contract being offered by the applicant / developer. This is acceptable, but applicants will need to ensure that the tendering process is undertaken in an open, transparent and fair manner, as outlined above, which does not give one person or company tendering any advantage over another, which arises from the process. Appropriate measures to prevent identify and remedy any conflicts of interest must be carried out.

If an applicant / developer or any person connected with them directly or indirectly, has a financial, economic, political, or other personal interest which might be perceived to compromise their impartiality and independence in the context of the procurement procedure:

that applicant / developer, or any other person or party with an interest must declare that interest in writing to the Project officer who will offer advice accordingly.

specifications and evaluation criteria must not be biased or tailored to favour one solution or any one party over another.

that person or party with an interest should take no part whatsoever in any of the tender evaluation procedures to ensure that the process is fair to all. It is acknowledged that Carmarthenshire County Council be required to provide the final approval.

every stage of the procedure must be recorded formally.

The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure that there is fairness in the spending of public money and that the integrity of the applicant is not compromised.

If any changes are required to the specification after seeking quotes/tenders which affects the original scope of the requirement, a new procurement exercise will need to be undertaken to ensure that best value for money has been achieved. This may occur where there are unforeseen additions to the original requirement, where tenders are received more than the available budget, where funding levels change etc. The grant applicant must inform the Project officer who will offer advice accordingly.

• Do ensure that any potential conflicts of interest are declared at the earliest opportunity.
• Do comply with the appropriate rules
• Do ensure that the specification is precise and not in excess of the requirements.
• Do ensure that the Evaluation Criteria is directly relevant to the subject of the contract
• Do complete and retain full records for future reference and audit purposes
• Do ensure that quotes/tenders are evaluated on a ‘like for like’ basis.
• Do ensure that you treat suppliers in an open, transparent, and non-discriminatory manner.
• Do allow sufficient time for companies to quote
• Do ensure the value of the Goods, Works or Service is estimated accurately at the start of the process to apply the correct procurement process.

• Don’t skew the specification to eliminate or to discriminate against suppliers i.e. limit the specification to a specific brand.
• Don’t change the scope of the specification once distributed.
• Don’t change the evaluation criteria during the process.
• Don’t give companies too short notice to quote.
• Don’t enter too into any verbal communication with suppliers regarding specific questions. The same information must be provided to all suppliers via email to ensure the process is fair and documented. 
• Don’t reveal prices to potential suppliers.
• Don’t breach confidentiality.
• Don’t open quotes/tenders in advance of the deadline.
• Don’t consider submissions received after the deadline.

Contract

A Contract for the purposes of these Rules shall be any agreement between the grant applicant and one or more other parties for : -                 

• the sale of goods or materials.
• the supply of goods or materials.
• the execution of works
• the provision of services (including accommodation and facilities).

Consumables

Consumables are consumer goods used by individuals and businesses that must be replaced after being used. Consumables can be everyday items that must be consistently replaced and those that wear out over longer periods. Many consumable goods are more affordable than other types of goods because they are meant to be replaced frequently. Some consumables are designed for one-time use while others can be used multiple times.

Competitive Source

an independent supplier bidding against another independent provider

Goods

Are material items i.e. equipment, food, vehicles etc

Evaluation

A method of determining which quotation or tender provides the best value for money in accordance with the pre-determined evaluation criteria. These criteria help ensure that the decision-making process is fair, transparent, and aligned with the objectives

Evaluation Criteria

A list of key requirements used to assess quotations or tenders received from competitive sources he criteria by which the most advantageous tender will e determined, based on a combination of price/cost and quality criteria.

Evaluation Panel

It is best practice to establish an evaluation panel to undertake the evaluation exercise. It may be appropriate to have a cross functional team as a panel. Panel should agree the specification and evaluation criteria in advance. The panel should be consistent throughout each stage of procurement exercise

Procurement Act 2023

The Procurement Act 2023 is a legal framework that governs how public sector organizations in the UK purchase goods, services, and works. It aims to ensure fairness, transparency, and value for money while supporting competition and innovation.

Sell2Wales

Is website where all public sector contracts are advertised. Third Party Grant Recipients can also advertise via the website free of charge, please visit the Sell2Wales website http://www.sell2wales.gov.uk/ and contact the website helpline on 0800 222 9004 for further information.

Services

Tasks undertaken by people i.e. consultancy services, translation services etc

Specification

This is a written statement that defines the requirements. The specification will vary according to the work, product or service concerned. For a simple product the specification may be a brief description, while in the case of a complex requirement it will be a comprehensive document. The description of the goods, works or services required must not refer to a specific make, brand, or source.

Tender/Quote

is the document compiled by a potential supplier in response to an invitation to quote/tender. It sets out general information demonstrating the capability and eligibility of the supplier - including detailed information about how they propose to fulfil the specifications of the requirement.

Works

Include construction building works, civil engineering, etc