Doing business with us

We make all payments easily and conveniently via BACS, the banking automated clearing service. 

Providing bank account details will enable us to remit payment in respect of invoices directly into a supplier's chosen account.

The benefits to suppliers and us of being paid via BACS are:

• payments are securely and conveniently paid directly into the supplier's bank account without the risks of cheques being delayed or going astray in the post
• cleared funds are available in the supplier's bank account two working days after payment is made
• suppliers receive a Remittance Advice by e-mail on the day the invoice is paid, giving notice of when the payment will reach their bank account
• accounting procedures on both sides are simplified and administrative costs are reduced

Invoicing the Council 

Invoices to us should be emailed as a PDF file to creditors@brentwood.gov.uk. PDF files should not be password protected.

All invoices now require a Purchase Order before they can be paid. This ensures the invoice is authorised and paid in line with the payment terms of the invoice. Invoices that do not quote the Purchase Order number where an order has been raised may be returned to the supplier.

For details of payments to suppliers, view Payments to Suppliers.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 Statement

Our vision is to make the Borough an even better place to live, work and visit, by focusing of five key areas:

• Growing the economy
• Protecting our environment
• Developing Communities
• Improving our housing
• Delivering an efficient and effective council

While working on and for the needs of the Borough, we are also aware of our wider social responsibility and are committed to having a positive impact on the working conditions of all those involved in supplying our goods and services.

We expects all our suppliers, contractors and partners to share this commitment.

To this end, we are taking the following steps to ensure compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015:

• Our Invitation to Tender document has recently been reviewed to require all bidders demonstrate how they tackle any modern slavery or human rights abuses in their business
• All bidders with a turnover of £36 million or more must submit a copy of their Modern Slavery Statement with their bid
• Clauses to ensure suppliers abide by the Modern Slavery Act are included in our Standard Terms and Conditions for purchases of good and services
• New supplier forms include a declaration for new suppliers to state they are not involved in modern slavery or exploitation of workers in any way
• New suppliers with a turnover of £36 million or more are required to give details of where their Modern Slavery Statement can be found on their website
• All tender exercises are conducted by our procurement officer and in accordance with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Code of Ethics
• All employment agencies who supply temporary workers to us are required to submit their own Modern Slavery Statement before being engaged

The above measures are in place to ensure, as far as possible, that we trade only with those who comply with the Act and who can demonstrate they are taking steps towards compliance.

This statement is made under section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 for the financial year ending 31 March 2022.

This statement is approved by Brentwood Borough Council Senor Leadership Team, and will be subject to review on an annual basis.

This statement was signed by the Council’s Corporate Director of Finance and Resources on 5 January 2022.

Current competitive tenders (estimated value over £25,000)

Current tenders:

Catering Provision at King George’s Playing Field, Brentwood. Closing date 12 noon, Friday 28 January 2022. Access Code: A23EVC7692.

To access the documents for contracts, follow the Delta eSourcing link below, and use the access codes given. 

If you are not already registered on this website, you will need to do this. Registration is free. For further help, call the Delta E-Sourcing Helpdesk on 0845 270 7050.

View current tenders by visiting Delta eSourcing or Contracts Finder.

View current council contracts: Council contract register

For more information, view the Tender Process.

We do not hold approved supplier lists. If you are interested in working for us you're advised to watch this page.

Any business looking for work in the wider public sector can register on Contracts Finder. Registration is free and this will give access to opportunities from UK wide public sector bodies.

For guidance for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises looking for work in the public sector, visit Doing business with government: a guide for SMEs.

All public sector contracts over the current threshold of £213,477 including VAT are covered by UK law. These regulations are designed to prevent discrimination of any kind and ensure free and fair competition.

We have rules about how we must spend public money. Full details can be found in the Constitution - Standing Orders for Contracts. They state that over a certain value, contracts must be competitively tendered. (view Tender and Quotation Opportunities for details of current competitive tenders).

By tendering contracts, we can ensure that it:

• gets value for money
• is open and fair in its purchasing activities
• complies with procurement law (currently Public Contracts Regulations 2015)

The procedure we follow is determined by the value of a contract:

• £0 to £25,000 – one written or verbal quotation to be obtained by authorised officer
• £25,000 to current procurement thresholds (£213,477 including VAT for Goods and Services; £5,336,937 including VAT for construction works) – contracts are subject to a formal competitive tendering process
• over procurement thresholds - competitive exercise run to be fully compliant with the World Trade Organisation Government Procurement Agreement regulations

Competitive tendering

Whether public sector bodies tender or quote for work, the procurement regulations still apply.

Council contracts out to tender with a value of over £25,000 are published on the Delta eSourcing website where suppliers can register for free and submit their tenders. Tenders are also advertised on the Government Contracts Finder website.

Contracts with a value of more than £213,477 including VAT for goods and services and £5.3m including VAT for construction works must also appear in the Government Find-A-Tender website.

The tender process ensures that potential contractors provide sufficient detail to enable us to determine whether they:

• are financially stable
• have appropriate technical ability to undertake the sort of contract they wish to be considered for
• are able to check their health and safety, environmental, equality and diversity and other records.

All potential contractors need to comply with our standard terms and conditions:

• For contracts under £150,000 (PDF)
• For contracts over £150,000 (PDF)

Submission, receipt and opening of tenders/quotations

Candidates invited to bid are given at least two weeks to submit their tenders to Brentwood Borough Council. The Council accepts electronic bids only, and uses the Delta eSourcing website for all its tender opportunities.

Tender evaluation

The Council will evaluate and award the contract in accordance with the award criteria published in the Invitation to Tender/Quote. All candidates will be notified in writing as to the outcome of the tender exercise.

For more information on the tender process, view our Constitution.