A new online toolkit has been launched by Bristol City Council to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that are looking to bid for contracts to supply goods or services to the authority.

The new ‘PTQ Online Toolkit’ has been developed by the council’s Corporate Procurement Unit to give SMEs all the advice and information they need to complete a pre-tender questionnaire (PTQ).

A PTQ has to be completed by any organisation that wants to be considered for an advertised city council contract. The PTQ provides the council with the key information it needs about potential bidders in order to assess which organisations should be invited to submit a final tender.

The council hopes the new toolkit, which launches on October 13, will help demystify the process for many local businesses and organisations – giving them a fairer chance to compete for advertised contracts.

The toolkit is easy to use and clearly sets out:

• What information the council requires

• Why the information is required

• Some useful tips to make bids as successful as possible

• Relevant links to other websites.

The toolkit will be designed so users can either browse all the information provided – or easily jump to the section containing the specific advice or support they most need.

The toolkit will be online at www.bristol.gov.uk/ptq

Cllr John Bees, Cabinet Member for Resources and Transformation, said: “We want to encourage local businesses and not-for-profit organisations to bid for contracts where they feel they can genuinely provide us with value for money services. For unavoidable legal and financial reasons, parts of the bidding process can seem quite confusing and may be off-putting for some smaller enterprises, who don’t have a lot of specialist or administrative staff. This toolkit should help organisations find their way through the maze – so more people have a fair chance to bid for a share of the work on offer.”

If you have any feedback on the toolkit, or think additional information should be included, email: corporate.procurement@bristol.gov.uk or complete the feedback form at the web address above.

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