Doing business with us
Brentwood Borough Council spends thousands of pounds each year on a wide range of products, services and works programmes.
As a public organisation, we have procurement procedures that follow UK government procurement rules (Public Contracts Regulations (2015)) for all purchases. These rules exist to ensure free and fair competition and transparency. We base procurement of our requirements on the principles of best value to ensure it achieves efficiency, effectiveness and value for money.
For more information, view our Procurement Strategy 2020-25 (PDF).
Council standing orders and financial regulations
For more information on our rules for making purchases view the Standing Orders for Contracts, Part 4.6 of our Constitution.
For more information on our rules and full terms and conditions, view the Tender Process.
Payment terms
Our standard payment terms are 30 days from receipt of invoice, in accordance with the Government's Prompt Payment Code. Under this code, all suppliers and contractors working for us are expected to pay their suppliers and sub-contractors promptly.
Procurement code of conduct
All public sector employees must abide by a Procurement Code of Conduct. Employees must declare their interests in existing or potential suppliers, and say if the connection is a private, social, domestic or professional one. This also applies to Members of the Council who are governed by their own strict code of conduct. You can view our Code of Ethics in the Standing Orders for Contracts, Part 4.6 of our Constitution.
Social value
As with all public sector procurement, value for money is at the core of our procurement decisions. Over the last few years there has been a national shift in how value for money should be calculated. In 2012 the Public Service (Social Value) Act was passed into law. This means that in all procurements we must consider how it can help improve the social, environmental and economic well-being of the local area. we have formulated our own Social Value Policy in response to this legislation. View our Social Value Policy (PDF).
Modern slavery
All suppliers who sell goods, works or services to us must abide by the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and take appropriate action to reduce the risk of slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour in their supply chains.
Suppliers who need advice or information about modern slavery, or who wish to report any suspected instances, can call the Government’s Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700, or visit Modern Slavery Helpline.
New suppliers
If your company has been awarded work with us, it may be necessary to complete an online new supplier form in order for us to send Purchase Orders or pay invoices.
From 1 April 2022, we're adopting a strict No PO, No Pay policy for invoice payments to suppliers.
View the No PO, no pay policy (PDF)
A link to this online form will be sent to you from your contact at the Council where necessary, and will ask you to confirm details about your company, such as registered office, VAT registration number etc.
For all other enquiries, email procurement@brentwood.gov.uk.
For more information about procurement throughout Essex, visit Procurement for Essex website.
How we pay you
We make all payments easily and conveniently via BACS, the banking automated clearing service.
Providing bank account details will enable us to remit payment in respect of invoices directly into a supplier's chosen account.
The benefits to suppliers and us of being paid via BACS are:
- payments are securely and conveniently paid directly into the supplier's bank account without the risks of cheques being delayed or going astray in the post
- cleared funds are available in the supplier's bank account two working days after payment is made
- suppliers receive a Remittance Advice by e-mail on the day the invoice is paid, giving notice of when the payment will reach their bank account
- accounting procedures on both sides are simplified and administrative costs are reduced
Invoicing the Council
Invoices to us should be emailed as a PDF file to creditors@brentwood.gov.uk. PDF files should not be password protected.
All invoices now require a Purchase Order before they can be paid. This ensures the invoice is authorised and paid in line with the payment terms of the invoice. Invoices that do not quote the Purchase Order number where an order has been raised may be returned to the supplier.
For details of payments to suppliers, view Payments to Suppliers.
Modern Slavery Act
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 Statement
Our vision is to make the Borough an even better place to live, work and visit, by focusing of five key areas:
- Growing the economy
- Protecting our environment
- Developing Communities
- Improving our housing
- Delivering an efficient and effective council
While working on and for the needs of the Borough, we are also aware of our wider social responsibility and are committed to having a positive impact on the working conditions of all those involved in supplying our goods and services.
We expects all our suppliers, contractors and partners to share this commitment.
To this end, we are taking the following steps to ensure compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015:
- Our Invitation to Tender document has recently been reviewed to require all bidders demonstrate how they tackle any modern slavery or human rights abuses in their business
- All bidders with a turnover of £36 million or more must submit a copy of their Modern Slavery Statement with their bid
- Clauses to ensure suppliers abide by the Modern Slavery Act are included in our Standard Terms and Conditions for purchases of good and services
- New supplier forms include a declaration for new suppliers to state they are not involved in modern slavery or exploitation of workers in any way
- New suppliers with a turnover of £36 million or more are required to give details of where their Modern Slavery Statement can be found on their website
- All tender exercises are conducted by our procurement officer and in accordance with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Code of Ethics
- All employment agencies who supply temporary workers to us are required to submit their own Modern Slavery Statement before being engaged
The above measures are in place to ensure, as far as possible, that we trade only with those who comply with the Act and who can demonstrate they are taking steps towards compliance.
This statement is made under section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 for the financial year ending 31 March 2022.
This statement is approved by Brentwood Borough Council Senor Leadership Team, and will be subject to review on an annual basis.
This statement was signed by the Council’s Corporate Director of Finance and Resources on 5 January 2022.
Tender opportunities
Current competitive tenders (estimated value over £25,000)
There are currently no tender opportunities being advertised.
To access the documents for contracts, visit Delta eSourcing and use the access code. You can also view current tenders by visiting Contracts Finder.
You will need to register with Delta Sourcing to view the documents, which is free. For help, call the Delta E-Sourcing Helpdesk on 0800 923 9236.
View the Council contract register.
For more information, view the Tender Process.
We don't hold approved supplier lists. If you're interested in working for us, you're advised to watch this page.
Any business looking for work in the wider public sector can register on Contracts Finder. Registration is free and will give access to opportunities from UK wide public sector bodies.
For Small and Medium-sized Enterprises looking for work in the public sector, visit Doing business with government: a guide for SMEs.
Tender process
All public sector contracts over the current threshold of £213,477 including VAT are covered by UK law. These regulations are designed to prevent discrimination of any kind and ensure free and fair competition.
We have rules about how we must spend public money. Full details can be found in the Constitution - Standing Orders for Contracts. They state that over a certain value, contracts must be competitively tendered. (view Tender opportunities for details of current competitive tenders).
By tendering contracts, we can ensure that it:
- gets value for money
- is open and fair in its purchasing activities
- complies with procurement law (currently Public Contracts Regulations 2015)
The procedure we follow is determined by the value of a contract:
- £0 to £25,000 – one written or verbal quotation to be obtained by authorised officer
- £25,000 to current procurement thresholds (£213,477 including VAT for Goods and Services; £5,336,937 including VAT for construction works) – contracts are subject to a formal competitive tendering process
- over procurement thresholds - competitive exercise run to be fully compliant with the World Trade Organisation Government Procurement Agreement regulations
Competitive tendering
Whether public sector bodies tender or quote for work, the procurement regulations still apply.
Council contracts out to tender with a value of over £25,000 are published on the Delta eSourcing website where suppliers can register for free and submit their tenders. Tenders are also advertised on the Government Contracts Finder website.
Contracts with a value of more than £213,477 including VAT for goods and services and £5.3m including VAT for construction works must also appear in the Government Find-A-Tender website.
The tender process ensures that potential contractors provide sufficient detail to enable us to determine whether they:
- are financially stable
- have appropriate technical ability to undertake the sort of contract they wish to be considered for
- are able to check their health and safety, environmental, equality and diversity and other records.
When agreeing a contract with Brentwood Borough Council you do so on the terms and conditions advised to you as part of any tender process or contract negotiations with us.
Where no specific terms and conditions have previously been advised, then you do so on our standard terms and conditions:
Submission, receipt and opening of tenders or quotations
Candidates invited to bid are given at least two weeks to submit their tenders to Brentwood Borough Council. The Council accepts electronic bids only, and uses the Delta eSourcing website for all its tender opportunities.
Tender evaluation
The Council will evaluate and award the contract in accordance with the award criteria published in the Invitation to Tender/Quote. All candidates will be notified in writing as to the outcome of the tender exercise.
For more information on the tender process, view our Constitution.