Questionnaire for a supplier who has experience with public sector work

You have indicated that you have engaged with the public sector, as either a prime or sub-contractor. We would like you to tell us more about your experiences or perceptions of engaging with the public sector, and hear your suggestions for how things could be improved. Please use the following spaces to give us your views and suggestions.

There are fields that require attention before the form can be submitted.

Information
Issues you may wish to consider when responding:
  • We are particularly interested to get your views on finding out about supply opportunities. In responding you may wish to consider issues about how tender opportunities are communicated, in particular:
  • It is easy or difficult to find out about local or nationally available public sector tender opportunities, especially for lower value contracts?
  • What sources of information do you use?
  • Do the public authorities you deal with have procurement web pages?
  • Have you used www.supply2.gov.uk, www.contstructionline.co.uk , or www.competefor.com ?
  • How could access to public sector contract opportunities be improved?
  • Do you find out about opportunities in enough time to bid?
  • What example of good practice have you seen?
Information
Issues you may wish to consider when responding:
  • We are particularly interested to get your views on finding out about supply opportunities. In responding you may wish to consider issues about how tender opportunities are communicated, in particular:
  • Are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires poorly suited to the opportunities or insufficiently standardised?
  • Is there too much or too little information sought from you? Is the information sought relevant to the contract?
  • How costly or time consuming do you find bidding for opportunities and how could this be reduced?
  • Does the process seem fair and transparent? Do you get any, enough or too much feedback during or after the assessment process?
  • Do parental guarantees, insurance stipulations, accreditation requirements or performance bonding seem proportionate to the supply opportunity?
  • Have you sought to create consortia to bid? How easy was this?
  • What do you think about the time scales, in terms of decision making, in the procurement process?
  • What examples of good practice have you seen?
Information
Issues you may wish to consider when responding:
  • We are particularly interested in getting your views on the types, size, duration, geographical coverage of supply opportunities and your capacity to deliver, in particular:
  • Are the contract opportunities the right size or too large? Do they last too long or are they too short to recoup investments? Is the location of delivery too broad?
  • Are public sector contract opportunities renewed frequently enough or so frequently that any associated investment is unjustified?
  • Are the specifications clear enough on what needs to be delivered?
  • Have you had to supply extra information during the course of the delivery of the contract and how expensive was this?
  • Have you been obliged to meet standards exceeding statutory minimum requirements, for example in the area of health and safety, employment law, environmental standards etc? How easy was it to fulfil this?
  • Were there any problems with regard to prompt payment or on other matters, and, if so, how were they resolved?
  • Have you worked in the supply chain of a prime contract delivering a public contract? What worked well or what could have been improved?
  • Do you prefer to seek sub-contracting opportunities, working for prime contractors rather than working directly for the public sector? If so why?
  • What examples of good practice have you seen?

There following fields require attention before the form can be submitted: