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Council tenders and contracts (rejig)
As a council, we purchase a wide range of goods, services and works from other businesses following national public procurement legislation.
We use a range of procurement methods, including quotations, tenders and collaborative arrangements.
Register to sell to us
To be able to sell to us you'll need to register on both our official procurement portal YORtender and the Find a Tender Service (FTS).
Register your business with YORtender
Registration on YORtender is free and provides access to all our advertised opportunities.
Please try to avoid duplicate supplier registrations wherever possible. If you've any issues during registration you can email uksupport@eu-supply.com or call 0800 840 2050 during office hours 9am to 5pm.
Register your business on the Find a Tender service (FTS)
Once you've registered on YORtender, you'll also need to register on the Find a Tender service (FTS). Registration is free and only needs to be completed once. You'll need to do this in order to tender so its important you do this as soon as you can. If you don't already have one, you'll also need to create a GOV.UK One Login.
You can read the Central Digital Platform factsheet or view the how to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender in 3 easy steps guidance to help you with this.
Finding opportunities
We'll advertise all current opportunities on YORtender: current opportunities.
All relevant opportunities over £25,000 will also be advertised on Find a Tender Service (FTS) whether they are above or below the high value contracts threshold.
High value contracts
Contracts over certain high values are subject to:
- Public Contract Regulations 2015 if advertised before 24 February 2025
- Procurement Act 2023 if advertised or awarded after 24 February 2025
These directives require us to:
- advertise and award contracts via Find a Tender Service (FTS)
- follow specified timescales and
- award contracts, either on the basis of Most Economically Advantageous (MAT); which may include price, quality and social value considerations depending on the contract
The public contract regulations and procurement act apply to contracts that exceed the following amounts (as of 1 January 2026):
| Type of contract | Exc VAT (assumes standard rate of 20%) | Inc VAT (assumes standard rate of 20%) |
|---|---|---|
| Goods and services | £166,176 | £207,720 |
| Works | £4,154,400 | £5,193,000 |
| Light Touch Regime (LTR) | £552,950 | £663,540 |
The thresholds vary from time to time and have traditionally been amended every two years on 1 January. These new threshold amounts do not affect any procurement commenced before 1
January 2026.
All public sector procurement, regardless of how much is being spent, is governed by the principle of equality of treatment, non-discrimination and transparency.
Our contracts register
You can see more information about what we buy, how much we spend and with whom in our contracts register which is available on YORtender.
Future opportunities - our procurement pipeline
Our procurement pipeline provides a forward look of potential and current procurement activity. Its updated every six months (minimum) and is for general information purposes only and subject to change. There's no guarantee that any published opportunity will lead to a tender publication or contract award, a decision to procure any of these requirements is subject to our decision-making process and the publication of value is an estimation for indicative purposes only.
How to bid for opportunities
YORtender is where you'll register your interest in an opportunity, get access to the tender/request for quote documents and then submit your bid.
This YORtender supplier portal video provides instructions, including an overview, tender searching and how to participate and respond to a tender.
It is extremely important that you follow these instructions and any guidance within them to ensure you continue to access tender opportunities from Yorkshire and Humber Authorities.
Guidance for bidding
Be on time
Make sure information is provided by the deadline dates. If the information does not arrive promptly, we will not be able to consider it. We must be seen to be acting fairly and transparently by giving everyone the same opportunity.
Understand what is required
The initial advert is your chance to decide whether or not your business can undertake the contract. In offering the opportunity to quote/tender we will provide you with a scope of services, goods or works which are required.
If you've questions that need answering before you can decide whether or not to bid, take this opportunity to seek clarification by contacting us through the e-tendering platform or by speaking to the officer who has asked you to quote.
Invitations to tender
If you receive an invitation to tender you're being invited to make an offer, which we may accept. You must ensure you comply with all requirements at this stage because the decision on who is chosen will ultimately be based on criteria listed in the contract notice or invitation to tender. Make sure you provide all relevant information requested in respect of the price and quality criteria. If you're unsure, ask. As well as the quality criteria, make sure your offer is also competitive and offers value for money.
How we award contacts
There are three main ways in which we competitively tender contracts: open procedure, competitive flexible and frameworks or dynamic markets.
Definitions of what all these terms mean can be found on the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) website.
Our decision process
We follow set procedures to ensure we get the best value for money in line with our best value duty. The process we follow will be determined by a range of factors, including:
- value of contract
- number of suppliers in the market
- the complexity of our requirements
- timescales
Regardless of the process followed, all bids are evaluated according to clear, pre-published criteria by a panel of experienced officers, and contracts will be awarded on the basis of value for money, which means a balance of price, quality, social value and aligns with our key strategies.
Social Value
The Public Services (Social Value Act 2012) places a duty on us to have regard to economic, social and environmental wellbeing in connection with public services contracts and for connected purposes.
The act puts a legal obligation on us to consider social value in all procurements that must comply with our own Contract Procedure Rules and the Public Sector Procurement rules applicable and it should be considered in procurement below this threshold as good practice.
The act requires us to consider the economic, environmental and social benefits of their approaches to procurement at the pre-procurement stage and should consider the following as part of the obligations under the act:
- How what is proposed to be procured might improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the 'relevant area'.
- How in conducting a procurement process it might act with a view to securing that improvement.
- Consultation prior to procurement, e.g. communities and users of services, local firms, voluntary sector and other local organisations.
You can read our social value policy for further information on how we embed social value principles and make it the duty of everyone involved in commissioning, procurement and project delivery to be responsible for the delivery of social value
Social value in the procurement process
Where applicable, we utilise the National TOMs framework for measuring and reporting social value.
The TOMs are nationally recognised and were launched by the National Social Value Task Force. The task force is sponsored by the Local Government Association (LGA).
During the competitive tendering process, bidders are asked to make commitments to provide specific social value themes, outcomes and measures (TOMs) as part of the bidding stage of tenders.
The commitment of bidders to deliver social value through the TOMs forms part of the evaluation process.
The delivery of these commitments is contract-managed to ensure the social value identified is delivered.
Key strategies, policies and information
Our procurement activity plays a key role in contributing to the strategies of the council, through the goods, and services we choose to purchase. These key strategies are what we will look at as part of any tender process.
Notifying you of an award
You'll be notified if you've been awarded an opportunity you've bid for through YORtender. You can also find out who has been awarded contracts for the council and all other public sector organisations via the Find a Tender Service (FTS).
More information
Help to find and tender for contracts
As part of our ongoing commitment to market development we engage the services of Go4Growth to provide free of charge support to organisation who want to develop their knowledge and understanding of bidding for contracts for the public sector.
Go4Growth is designed to aid smaller organisations in any sector to enter or grow in the public sector marketplace. The program is funded by us, meaning businesses can join the programme. They'll be able to access the support, guidance, tools and resources on offer at no cost
You can find out how Go4Growth could support your business or get help to register to join the Go4Growth programme. You can register at Go4Growth and also find more details at Go4Growth.
Go4Growth are hosting also events about the changes to the Procurement Act. You can book a place at Go4Growth events. Some events are more focused around suppliers and some are more appropriate for public sector bodies.
Seven day payment pledge
Our standard payment terms are 30 days from the receipt of a valid undisputed VAT invoice.
In line with our inclusive economy agenda, we're keen to support suppliers and pay invoices as promptly as we can. Barnsley Council commits to pay all suppliers within seven days, however please note this is not a contractual obligation.
General terms and conditions
Please find links to our general terms and conditions below:
- Standard terms and conditions for the purchase of goods under £70,000
- Standard terms and conditions for the purchase of services under £70,000
Transparency
As part of the government’s commitment to greater transparency, we have to make information on procurement visible.
The Council includes in its standard terms and conditions a freedom of information clause that requires the supplier to acknowledge that the council is subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
Suppliers should be aware that if they are awarded a tender, the resulting contract between the supplier and us will be published. In some circumstances limited redactions will be made to some contracts before they are published to comply with existing law.
Procurement Act 2023
Changes to the public sector rules in relation to procurement and contract management
On 24 February 2025 new procurement legislation came into effect; making some changes to how goods, works and services are procured within the public sector.
It’s important our suppliers are aware of the changes. You can read GOV.UK short guide for suppliers and also find out about transforming public procurement.
Read more about the Procurement Act 2023.
Changes and training
GOV.UK have information and guidance for suppliers about the changes including videos on the new process. You can also join the mailing list to get regular updates.
Supplying the Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO)
We are one of the founder members of the YPO, along with 12 other local authorities in the north of England. The YPO supplies goods and services both through its catalogue and through framework agreements where direct supply contracts are arranged.
Find out more information on becoming a supplier with the YPO