Working with the council

Procurement describes the way we acquire the goods, services and works it needs to provide services to the people of Slough. This can be anything from buying pens and paper to financing major construction projects or commissioning social care services.

Guide to working with your local authority

We are keen to make sure our suppliers reflect the area’s diversity. We encourage as many businesses as possible to apply for our contracts.  We have produced a guide to working with the council.

There is also a guide to the Procurement Act 2023 and how it affect suppliers from GOV.UK.

The council encourages competition and welcomes bids from new, as well as established, suppliers. We have listened to the concerns local businesses, small medium enterprises (SMEs) and black and Minority enterprises (BMEs) face. These include issues when trying to find out about business opportunities and when trying to fill in the necessary documentation to bid for the opportunities. To help mitigate these issues, we’ve introduced a new corporate procurement function.

The corporate procurement function provides a central co-ordinating and advisory role on all procurement matters. All procurement in the council will be undertaken in accordance with the procurement code of practice.

The procurement unit proactively encourages its staff to use a diverse range of suppliers when buying good and services. We encourage the use of small medium enterprises (SMEs), black and minority enterprises (BME’s), voluntary and community organisations, and social enterprises.

Our current tenders and quotations can now be found on the SE Shared Services e-Sourcing Portal where you can register for regular updates on new tender opportunities and express an interest for them.

The SE Shared Services Portal allows businesses to register their company details. Council staff wanting to purchase goods and services will use the portal to search and select registered suppliers to invite to submit a bid for the goods and services.

Further details on the SE Shared Services Portal, how to register, and how it works can be found on the SE Shared Services website.

Prompt payment

Our standard payment terms for suppliers is 28 days. Small and Medium Sized businesses (SME's) and suppliers with an SL postcode are processed within 7 days.

Standard terms and conditions

The council has a standard set of terms and conditions for its suppliers: