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Tendering
We spend an average of £100 million each year on supplies, services, works and concessions. On average, 85 per cent of our annual spend is with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
We seek to achieve the best commercial outcome from our procurement, while making sure that the purchase of supplies, services and works achieve value for money by making a positive difference to the people and communities in Belfast. A missed opportunity to deliver social value is a cost that must be absorbed elsewhere in public services.
The process we use depends on the contract value.
| Contract value | Process |
|---|---|
| Up to £3,000 | No formal competition. Our officers make sure there is value for money |
| Between £3,000 and £8,000 | Formal competition with quotation from selected number of suppliers (minimum three). Not publicly advertised |
| Between £8,000 and £30,000 | Formal competition with quotation from selected number of suppliers (minimum four). Not publicly advertised |
| Over £30,000 | Tender: competitive procurement procedure. Tender is advertised on Tender opportunities and eSourcing website |
| Over UK threshold | Tender: competitive procurement procedure in line with the Procurement Act 2023 Tender is advertised on our Tender opportunities, eSourcing website and Find a tender (link opens in new window). |
For quotations valued up to £30,000, we encourage suppliers to register with us.
Tenders greater than £30,000 are procured by the eSourcing website.
There is also a list of suppliers that were awarded a tender in the last month. Awarded tenders are published on the eSourcingNI website.
If you are an existing supplier with a query about invoices or payments, there is more information on our Suppliers page.
This table sets out the areas that we are responsible for and provides examples of what we buy in each area:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Advertising and media | Advertising, marketing and distribution, media, broadcasting, signage, promotional items, products for resale (for example toys, games for sale at Belfast Zoo) external publicity, sponsorship, photography and printing services |
| Buildings or asset maintenance | Buildings and site maintenance, mechanical and electrical services (M&E), fencing, lift maintenance |
| Catering and hospitality | Concession catering contracts (for example catering services at different venues), catering equipment and supplies, catering food, catering for meetings, bottled water and vending machine supplies. |
| Energy and utilities | Mains/metered gas, electricity, utilities, combined heat and power, sustainability projects, renewables, energy management services and bottled/cylinder gas |
| Events and community | Event organisation and planning services, event support services, event equipment and facilities hire, PEACE IV projects and community support and safety projects |
| Facilities management | Cleaning services (for example general, window or gutters), outdoor maintenance services (for example de-icing and snow clearance), security guarding, pest control services and supplies, facilities management agreements |
| Fleet | Replacement fleet vehicles to support in-house operations (for example vans, road or street sweepers, bin lorries), vehicles spares, parts and consumables (OEM and non-OEM), fleet repair services (for example general repairs and bodywork repairs), vehicle recovery services, grounds maintenance equipment, hire of vehicles and plant (with and without operator), vehicle fuel and tyres. |
| HR | Temporary or agency resources, employee support services (for example counselling and occupational health), training, executive recruitment and travel services |
| ICT | ICT hardware, IT software, ICT equipment, printers, IT consultancy and support services, network services, telecoms and mobile phones |
| Office supplies | Office stationery, printing supplies, office furniture, porterage, office records storage and management, confidential waste recycling/ disposal. |
| Parks and grounds maintenance | Grounds maintenance services and supplies, tree maintenance, horticultural services, plants, trees and soil supplies and associated products, aggregates and topsoil, animal welfare services (for example dog-kennelling), animal feed supplies (for example food supplies for Belfast Zoo), Playground equipment |
| Professional services | Consultancy, staff substitution, financial services, insurance brokerage, legal support services, sponsorship and employment, training academies |
| Stores | Workwear, PPE, cleaning products, power tools, hand tools, safety equipment, hardware, concrete products, electrical consumables, mechanical consumables, white goods/ appliances, paint and painting products and timber or wood products. |
| Waste management | Non-hazardous waste management and disposal, Inert waste management and disposal, hazardous waste management and disposal, waste recycling/ reuse (for example mixed dry recyclables, mattresses), waste collection services, bins for resale, waste containers, skip hire, waste management equipment or plant, environmental management services, waste spill or cleaning up services, fly tipping collection and clean up |
| Works and construction | Capital works projects, capital consultancy and support services design and build, asset management |
Our tenders support provides free expert mentoring support for eligible businesses. Eligible businesses can get support to help them identify and access public and private sector procurement opportunities in Northern Ireland and further afield (this can also include support during a live bidding stage).
To check if you're eligible for support and to register, complete the form on Go Succeed (link opens in new window).
Our Go Social programme can support setting up a new social enterprise or co-operative. Tailored support includes:
Our Social Value Procurement Policy sets out our approach to delivering on the council's inclusive growth commitments and explains our social value objectives, the impact these changes will make and how we will work with suppliers using our social value toolkit to achieve our ambitions.
Suppliers must comply with our policy requirements for their employees working on Belfast City Council contracts. If you're our supplier:
Where appropriate, we will also consider the application of these enhanced requirements:
If you have any queries or feedback about a procurement process you have been involved in, contact Commercial and Procurement Services by email [email protected].
Our procurement activity is governed by the Procurement Act 2023 which includes the ability to make appeal (known as remedies). But this legislative framework is only available for procurement activity over a stipulated threshold. The current thresholds are:
When a procurement exercise is under the threshold and remedies are not available, this does not prevent a bidder from seeking damages. Before seeking damages, a bidder should get their own legal advice.
If a supplier is unhappy with the outcome of a procurement process, they can complain using our complaints process. This process is on the Corporate Complaints Office page.
If you're interested in our procurement activity and contracts, read our Freedom of Information webpage.
For more information and advice, get in touch.
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