How We Buy

The Assembly Commission has various ways in which to procure goods, services and works. These depends on the contract value.

  • Contracts up to £5k – No formal competition. However, we will act to ensure that our purchase offers value for money.
  • Contracts between £5k and £30k – We will undertake a formal quotation exercise involving a selected number of suppliers (minimum three). These will not be publicly advertised.
  • Contracts over £30k – A formal tender exercise is undertaken which will involve some kind of competitive procurement procedure.

Tenders are advertised on the ‘Current Opportunities’ section at the top of this page and through our sourcing portal – Delta eSourcing.

All notices will be published via Find a Tender.

It is free to register on this site to receive email alerts every time a tender is advertised that meets your criteria.  

If you have queries or experience any problems with Delta eSourcing, Tenderers can access support through a variety of channels:

  • online user guides and integrated help text should provide you with the information you require. User guides are contained in the HELP section within the footer on Delta eSourcing.
  • ‘Contact Us Form’ which sends an email directly to the helpdesk, they aim to respond within 24 hours.
  • ‘Live Chat’ function to ask questions to a helpdesk advisor in real time.
  • Telephone by calling 0800 923 9236 you can speak directly to the first available helpdesk advisor.

Collaborating with Others

We often work with other public bodies which results in collaborative contracts. We or the other public body may undertake the tender competition.

We also make use of frameworks that are available to us and will follow the call-off process specific to the framework.

How are Bids Evaluated?

All tender submissions are evaluated by appropriate staff, normally those involved in the delivery of the contract itself. The criteria they will assess the bid against are individual to the competition and will be detailed in the tender documents.

Contract Award

Internal approvals will be sought prior to proceeding to award of the contract. We will then contact all bidders to tell them of the outcome. Feedback will be provided to all bidders and those who have been unsuccessful will be provided with information which may assist them to improve future bids. 

Contract Management

The Assembly Commission will appoint a contract manager for each contract. They will be responsible for the administration of the contract.  All contracted suppliers are subject to performance reviews as set out within the contract.  The supplier must ensure that the required quality and performance stated in the contract are maintained (or improved) throughout the contract period.