All procurement undertaken by us must follow the contract procedure rules (PDF, 584.28 KB) that form part of our constitution. The rules reflect our financial regulations and standing orders in addition to the UK Law. The contract procedure rules enable us to ensure that fair, robust and transparent procurement processes are in place.
We currently continue to operate under The Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) regime. Significant changes are expected to the UK public sector procurement when The Procurement Act 2023 is implemented in 2024. As per the Cabinet Office, the ‘go-live’ date for the Act is expected to be October 2024.
We recommend that suppliers working with the council or looking forward to doing business with the council in the future, start preparing for the new regime. Guidance for suppliers, VCSEs and SMEs is available at GOV.UK - Benefits for Prospective Suppliers to the Public Sector and the official ‘Knowledge Drop’ videos are also at GOV.UK - The Official Transforming Public Procurement Knowledge Drops.
As part of our procurement process, we consider the Social Value Act 2012 to ensure that suppliers are upholding equality standards and not supporting modern slavery through their supply chain.
Our Council Plan (PDF, 3118.32 KB) sets out our priorities, and our social value links to these deliverables:
- Good homes in well-connected neighbourhoods
- Safe, healthy and confident communities
- An economy that works for everyone
As a potential supplier, we will expect you and any subcontractor to uphold the Equalities Act. Our supplier guide sets out our aspirations for this. Our Modern Slavery Statement (PDF, 112.85 KB) also sets out what Enfield is doing to eradicate modern slavery.
We have a general policy of not paying invoices which do not quote an order number. Suppliers are strongly advised not to accept request for goods or services unless this is in the form of an official Enfield council purchase order.
Our payment policy is to pay suppliers 30 days after receipt of an acceptable invoice, which must quote the purchase order number. This is in line with the prompt payment rules. Failure to quote an order number will result in your invoice being returned unpaid. We only pay by the bankers' automated clearing services (BACS), so to be a supplier to us you will need to accept these terms.
As a supplier if you subcontract any work in relation to the provision of goods or services to us you must also ensure that you comply with the prompt payment rules.
We use an e-procurement system and wherever possible conduct business electronically.
Additionally, ensure that you have read our contract procedure rules to understand how you can do business with us. You can also view our purchase order terms and conditions (PDF, 28.93 KB).