Quick Quote Opportunities for Public Sector
Publication Date: 23 February, 2022, 00:00
Within the public sector, there are specific opportunities for smaller suppliers to bid for lower value contracts through the Quick Quote facility on the Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) portal. Quick Quote is an online facility where the regulations allow buyers to directly invite suppliers who are registered on PCS to submit a quotation for “unregulated” contracts i.e., those with a value estimated to be below £50k for goods/services and £2m for works. The £50k figure had been universally applied to both types of contracts for a long time, however South Lanarkshire Council has recently raised its threshold to the maximum allowable £2m for works. Goods and services remain at £50k.
Having heard about Quick Quote, many suppliers ask: “How do I get invited and what do Quick Quotes cover?”. There is no guarantee of any business, but to try and increase your chances of actually receiving a Quick Quote there are a few things you can do:
- Make sure your Supplier Finder Profile on the PCS site is fully up to date, outlining what you do, who you are, accreditations, skills etc
- Ensure the “Keywords” which you enter as part of your Finder Profile best describe the products or services you provide. You can enter multiple keywords in each box. Buyers are able to perform a keyword search when looking for suppliers to invite
- Ensure you are registered against the relevant CPV codes through your Alert Profile on PCS
- Make yourself known to buyers by sending them a short marketing brief or letter of introduction. Most contract notices on the PCS portal will have an e-mail address for the procurement section and/or the individual buyer responsible. You cannot discuss specific tenders, but it makes sense to let them know that you would like to be considered for Quick Quotes
- Check out the Supplier Development Programme website for details on Meet the Buyer events. These can be with groups of Councils etc or with individual organisations. Register for these events and introduce yourselves to buyers. Ask them about Quick Quotes
You will greatly increase your chances of being invited to provide a Quick Quote if the buyer:
- can find you via the Supplier Finder function (to which only they have access) on PCS (remember to Tick the SME box to inform the buyer that you are, in fact, an SME). Many buyers are tasked with ensuring that SMEs are given opportunities to participate in tenders
- is aware of your business
Quick Quotes are a valuable way of gaining access to potentially valuable contracts but are often overlooked by suppliers who restrict themselves to searching for open tenders.
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