Working with suppliers
We recognise the need to develop Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SME’s), including voluntary sector organisations, social firms and supported factories.
We want to make sure that we give all suppliers, irrespective of size, the same opportunities to supply goods and services. An SME is a Small to Medium Enterprise that employs less than 250 people. Currently this sector makes up 99% of the businesses in Wales.
We aim to develop better working relationships with local suppliers, identify the barriers that prevent them tendering for council business, and assist them wherever necessary to get them to a position where they are able to compete with any other organisation. This may be just providing guidance on how to complete a tender document adequately, or could be an introduction to other departments (e.g. The Business Enterprise Support Team) for training or financial assistance.
Supplier Relationship Officer
To help achieve our aim’s, we employ a Supplier Relationship Officer, who is dedicated to working with local businesses (including Voluntary Sector organisations, Social Firms and Supported Factories) by encouraging them to tender for council contracts and providing support and guidance wherever necessary.
Our aim is to:
- Develop better procurement support for local businesses
- Understand any barriers that the business may encounter, and endeavour to remove any unnecessary obstacles
- Understand each other's needs
- Ensure opportunities are maximised
Our objectives are to:
- Proactively engage with local businesses throughout the county borough and surrounding areas through a series of seminars, training sessions and face-to-face meetings
- Develop relationships with local businesses to gain an understanding of their capabilities and to help them to understand our requirements
- Ensure tendering processes are kept as clear and simple as possible to minimise costs and wherever possible to package large tenders into smaller lots
- Provide guidance, support and training opportunities in areas such as e-procurement; tender completions; environment management systems; health and safety; sustainability.
We endorse the principles of "Opening Doors" (PDF), the Charter for SME Friendly Procurement.
Register your business with us
We manage a database of suppliers and we encourage local businesses to enter details of their business into this register.
This information helps purchasers understand what the business can provide and identify suitable suppliers for a particular purchasing requirement. It also acts as a mechanism to identify any areas that the business may need to improve upon in order to become competitive and win the purchasing contract.