How to do business with Durham County Council

Durham County Council encourages competition and welcomes bids from new and established suppliers, especially from small and medium sized companies (SMEs) and voluntary organisations. It also encourages applications from all sections of the community.

What are the benefits of working with the Council?

The council is fair, non-discriminatory and professional, a long established organisation and prompt to pay. Organisations will appreciate there is a great deal of competition for Durham County Council contracts, and this guide cannot assure individual organisations of success.

Durham County Council does not operate in isolation and has a strong regional presence via the North East Regional Improvement & Efficiency Partnership and the North Eastern Purchasing Organisation.

Rules and Regulations

Local Authority procurement is governed by procurement regulations at a European,  National and Local level via our Contract Procedure Rules, which state that quotations are required for procurements of up to £50,000 and tenders are require above this level.

• Meet Best Value by achieving the optimum combination of whole life costs, quality and benefits to meet the customer’s requirement.
• Be consistent with the highest standards of integrity.
• Operate in a transparent manner.
• Ensure fairness in awarding public contracts.
• Comply with all legal requirements.
• Support the council’s corporate and service aims and policies.
• Comply with the council’s Corporate Procurement and Commissioning Strategy and Procurement Code of Practice or documented and approved Sourcing Strategy.

What does the Council buy and who buys it?

The procurement functions of Durham County Council are carried out with 8 service areas:

• Corporate Procurement
• Property Services
• Neighbourhoods
• Direct Service
• Adult & Community Services
• Children & Young People's Services
• Transport
• Regeneration & Economic Development

Examples of what is bought include:

• Catering Supplies
• Furniture
• Information Technology and Telecommunications
• Facilities & Janatorial Supplies
• Personal Protection
• Photocopiers

Durham County Council’s preferred method of inviting tenders and quotations is to use our online e-tendering system, the NEPO Portal.

As long as you have an e-mail address you can register your interest against a tender and follow the instructions as a supplier.  This does not preclude suppliers contacting buyers directly.