e-Procurement introduction

Welcome to the Waltham Forest Guide on how you can sell your products and services to the Council via ProContract.

ProContract

The Council has implemented an e-tendering system ‘ProContract ‘ and joined the London Tenders Portal. At present, not all LBWF requirements are going through the system, but within a few months it will be mandatory for Council officers to put all quotes and tenders  via this route, as ‘ProContract’ is being rolled out as requirements need to be quoted or tendered for and as officers are trained in the use of the system.

There are significant benefits to suppliers:

  • You can register your organisation’s details on the London Tenders Portal
  • Receive alerts when contract opportunities become available
  • View all of the Council’s tenders and contracts
  • The system is free of charge to use and there is online help and guidance available on how to use the system
  • You can register your details now on www.londontenders.org which will also give you access to contract opportunities in 14 other London Boroughs
  • The system is designed so that when a supplier bids for a Council opportunity,  some of the data is stored, meaning that you do not have to re-input all the basic company data each time you bid for goods/services/works, so it will take less time to complete a bid

So, to ensure that you are able to bid for work with 15 London boroughs, please make sure that you register your company.

Waltham Forest Council buys goods, works, and services from a wide range of suppliers and service providers. The Council awards contracts to those organisations that can meet our requirements and standards. Contracts can range from small, one-off purchases up to multi-million pound service contracts lasting several years.

The purpose of these guidance notes is:

  • to provide the business community, including suppliers of goods, works or services, with an explanation of how the Council procures what it needs;
  • to enable the business community to gain greater access to the Council for the purpose of selling goods, works and services;
  • to encourage businesses to compete for Council contracts.

The Council does not usually respond to unsolicited enquiries or applications. Procurement procedures can vary depending on the type of product the Council is buying, as well as its value.

Reducing Carbon in the Business Community

The London Borough of Waltham Forest has launched a carbon reduction in the business community website.

The aim of this site is to give you a detailed opportunity to find out more about this ground breaking project, to help you get free advice on how to improve your environmental credentials and how to reduce energy and save money.

Reducing Carbon in the Business Community

Business Success in the Low Carbon Economy

A booklet has been published by Business Link for local businesses about tackling climate change and reducing costs.

Can You Afford Not To? - Business Success in the Low Carbon Economy

Business Link is a free business advice and support service, available online and through local advisers.

Payment of supplier invoices

Waltham Forest Council is implementing new processes in accounts payable to improve our internal controls and our service to you as a supplier.

As of 1 November 2008, Waltham Forest Council's 'e-Invoicing' service provider will be able to accept invoices electronically or on paper. We would like to encourage you to choose one of the electronic options, as they have real advantages for you:

  • No printing costs - paper or ink
  • No postage costs - envelopes and stamps
  • Automatic confirmation of receipt of the email with PDF attachment, so that you know it has been received.

If you wish to send your invoices/credit notes via an electronic delivery method we can accept electronic files or emails with a PDF attachment.

If you do not already have software to enable you to convert your invoice document into a PDF file, there are a number of free software downloads obtainable via the Internet

Please see www.primopdf.com for details of one option (this is not a recommendation).

The system requirements for Primo PDF are as follows:

  • Microsoft Windows 98, 2000, NT, XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista
  • A minimum of 30Mb of disc space.

» See full details of the new invoice process

Useful links for suppliers

Council tenders

  • Details of works that the council is tendering for are now uploaded via the ProContract system, (see details above), links to details of contracts recently let, are set out on the Council Tenders page

Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU)

  • To view larger tenders (over £150,000) a useful web site is the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) This website has details of all larger government tender opportunities for the whole of Europe.

Constructionline.co.uk

  • If you are interested in tendering for construction work, you should register with Construction Line, www.constructionline.co.uk This is used by many Governmental bodies to source construction contractors and consultants.

London 2012

  • Find out how your business can get involved in London2012 on the Business Network website.
  • Games-related goods and services are advertised on CompeteFor, the chosen website of London 2012 for the publication of Games-related contract opportunities.  

Contact us

Corporate Procurement
Town Hall
Forest Road
London, E17 4JF

Email: Corporate Procurement.