North East Procurement Organisation NEPO Frameworks: Our guide on how to win them!
The North East Procurement Organisation delivers procurement services to North East local authorities. It does this by putting in place pre-tendered agreements with organisations through frameworks or tenders. This enables public sector organisations to access the goods and services they require. They are able to do this knowing that the process for procuring the goods or services was transparent, compliant and that they will get value for money. They also save all the time and hassle of running a full comprehensive procurement process and are able to tap into the purchasing power of NEPO and associated pricing competitiveness.
We help our clients write winning bids and framework applications to NEPO and take into the large market of public organisations that purchase through NEPO Frameworks.
How doe the NEPO Procurement Process work?
The procurement process employed by NEPO is completely transparent, compliance with public procurement regulations, methodical and fair and easy to participate in. Key steps to the process include:
- Identification of the need of the good or service (or works) by one of the participating public sector organisations.
- They then conduct a needs assessment. Through this process they make the decision of whether the goods or service are suitable for and will be procured through NEPO.
- Once decision that it is suitable is made, suppliers are invited to bid for the contract. We help suppliers and businesses across the UK write bids to NEPO for tenders, contract and frameworks.
- The bids are then received and there is a predetermined criteria that is mostly based on Price, Quality, Social Focus, Experience, Methodology and Environmental sustainability.
- The bids are evaluated against the criteria and the winning suppliers are then appointed to the Framework. This is normally a very exciting step for our clients when we help them become appointed to a Framework and they gain access to sell their products of services to all of the public sector organisations that procure through NEPO.
- One off mini-bids are then released by organisations which you are eligible to bid for.
What businesses can bid for and win NEPO Frameworks?
Businesses across the UK, large and small, private and listed are able to bid for NEPO Frameworks. Potential suppliers (our clients) need to meet the criteria set out in the tender documentation in order to bid for a place on the framework. Our team of bid writers will work with you prior to bidding to ensure you meet the respective criteria to bid for NEPO frameworks as well as the mandatory criteria of the tender (which is critical to your prospects of success of winning the bid).
There are excellent opportunities for small and medium sized businesses to participate in bids for NEPO frameworks. Firstly, it enables you to service public sector organisations that SMEs would typically not consider themselves large enough to service. Secondly, the NEPO Frameworks cover a very diverse range of services. Finally, the requirements are geared towards bidding from businesses of all sizes. Where they ask for supporting documentation, our bid writing consultants can help you create the supporting documentation – which often isn’t as daunting as you imagine when you read the questions.
Where can I find and bid for NEPO framework opportunities?
The easiest and most efficient way to identify framework opportunities is on the NEPO website. here they list all of their frameworks and provide detail and descriptions of the goods and services they are looking to cover.
Our bid writers are also monitor the NEPO frameworks and are able to notify our clients when there is a suitable opportunity. When organisations issue a one off call from the framework, they also advertise these on the NEPO website.
Strategies we use to help you win NEPO Framework submissions
When you engage our team of writers to help you with your proposal or tender, we will use a range of strategies to help you win including:
- Read between the lines of what the framework is looking for. Understand it’s objectives and the evaluation criteria. Try to think of the challenges the organisation would have faced in order to request the works or services detailed in the framework. When you write the bid you need to tailor it to the evaluation criteria detailed in the framework.
- When showcasing your experience and expertise make sure back it up with evidence. This is another important point. Procurement teams are used to reading lots of claims about experience an expertise. You need to put a number on what you have done, provide evidence to prove it and quantify as many of your claims as possible. References also help to add credibility to what you are writing.
- Find suitable joint venture partners if you cannot provide the full service. Another important point. If you want to bid from the framework, however, you are a small business and can only provide some of the services, you should consider working collaboratively with another provider to bid for the tender especially if their services compliment yours and they are a credible provider.
- Make sure you meet and address each of the evaluation criteria. You need to spell it out to the reader – i.e. make it obvious how you are directly addressing and meeting their criteria.
- Be concise and go into detail in your response. You need to go into detail where possible and provide a comprehensive response. The procurement teams don’t want to read woffle. However, they also appreciate a quality, long and detailed response.
- Nail your social value response. An outstanding response to Social Value is critical to winning any framework bid. It is a government requirement and the procurement process reflects that. Take the time to think through what you do for the local community, how you can benefit the local community, and how you can ensure the downstream economic benefits of any contracts will flow through to the local community if you are awarded them.
Talk to our expert writers for help
Our team of bid and tender writers will work with you to understand your business, how it fits in with the NEPO frameworks you are bidding for, and write a bid that will give your firm the best prospects of success.
Arrange a time to talk with our team today to discuss your next framework submission and how we can assist.
Our writers have helped businesses from across the UK, particularly in the North West, bid for NEPO frameworks including businesses in Durham, Newcastle, Northumberland, Sunderland, Gateshead, North Tyneside, Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and North Yorkshire.