How Avon Fire Authority buys goods and services
Avon Fire Authority is responsible for Avon Fire & Rescue
Service, which spent approximately approximately £7m in 2007/2008
on a wide range of goods and services.
The Authority must ensure the money it receives through taxation
is used as carefully as possible and it achieves best value in
providing services to the public.
A large amount of the Authority’s expenditure is spent
under contracts, which are awarded after reasonable
competition.
The authority undertakes joint procurement with other fire
authorities in the South West, including Cornwall, Devon &
Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The Authority
also makes use of contracts awarded by other bodies on behalf of
the public sector, such as OGC Buying Solutions, Police Information
Technology Organisation (PITO) and FiReBuy.
The Authority generally encourages competition and welcomes bids
from new and established suppliers. Contracts must be awarded on
the basis of the most economically advantageous offer. The
Authority cannot discriminate in favour of local suppliers, but
will provide all suppliers with encouragement and advice on how to
compete for contracts.
The Authority has adopted the South West Fire and Rescue
Services' procurement strategy, which is based upon fair,
transparent and open competition, following procedures that are
auditable to make sure the process is reasonable as far
as it is commercially possible to do so.
The Authority aims to increase the levels of electronic
business, which over time will include electronic ordering and
invoicing. This will reduce the costs associated with the
process and the costs of normal trading.
As part of this, the Authority aims to place advertisements
for contacts and to carry out quotation and tender exercises
through the Bluelight e-tendering portal www.bluelight.gov.uk
Contractors should register on Bluelight as a potential supplier in
order to receive information on tender opportunities and to access
documents for Avon Fire Authority and for other fire authorities
and police authorities nationally.
The Authority must follow the European, national and local level
regulations when procuring goods, services and works and must
ensure the principles of transparency and fairness are applied
throughout all procurement processes.
Subject to certain exceptions, the following thresholds apply
from April 2006 to requirements for the external supply of goods,
services or works:
Up to £6,000: No formal requirement but best practice should be
followed
£6,001 to £25,000: A minimum of three quotations
£25,001 to £100,000: A minimum of three ‘sealed bid’
quotations
Over £100,000: Formal tendering and implementing of EU procedure
when applicable
For further information please contact:
louise.doherty@avonfire.gov.uk
Tel: 0117 926 2061 extension 350
Useful documents for suppliers
Standard terms and conditions for suppliers and
contractors 2006 (PDF 90kb, opens in a new window)
Confidential Reporting Code (PDF 87.4kb, opens
in a new window)
Procurement policy (PDF 537kb, opens in a new
window)
AFA Standing Orders & Financial Regulations
(PDF 322kb, opens in a new window)