Have your say on the draft public sector procurement standard

13 March 2019

It is no secret, that historically, the procurement process and supply chain within the public sector has suffered a poor reputation for fairness and transparency in business relationships. Concerns included the perceived inequality to compete within what was seen as an environment of favouring a known supplier and where the cheapest option regularly won over the tender offering best value for money or quality.

Even today many new or smaller organizations experience barriers to entering the public procurement supply chain because of the actual or this perceived complexity of the tender process and its blanket requirements. This is regardless of the size or the context of the organization, or the size or complexity of the contract.

It is with this scenario in mind that BSI, the business standards company, has issued this draft standard for public comment - BS 95009:2019 DPC Public Sector Procurement - generic requirements for organizations providing products and services. Views are being sought from industry practitioners, procurement specialists, local and central government authorities, business and consumer organizations. The consultation is open until 05 April 2019 and comments can be submitted online at: https://standardsdevelopment.bsigroup.com/projects/2018-02931.

This standard provides a framework giving recommendations and guidance to enable those in the procurement process to demonstrate or assess the trustworthiness, transparency and ethical practice of organizations in the tendering process for procuring public sector contracts.  It also aims to simplify the process, reduce bureaucracy, ensure due diligence and provide assurance that fairness prevails in the awarding of contracts.

Anne Hayes, Head of Governance and Resilience at BSI, said: “It is not unreasonable to believe that if you meet the criteria and can deliver the products or services as required and to deadline that you stand a chance of being considered with your tender. This standard specifies the criteria to enable organizations, regardless of size, to demonstrate their suitability and ability to meet the requirements of the contracting authority”.

BS 95009 is aimed at organizations contracting out provision of products and services to external providers and for organizations acting as external providers.

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