Support Available

There are various ways in which you can receive further support and guidance on procurement.

The Procurement Officer

If your query is regarding a particular quotation or tender then you should always raise a query as early as possible directly with the public sector procurement officer for the tender:  they will know the specifics of the particular tender. 

Any queries should ideally be raised in writing. 

If the query is regarding a live procurement exercise then queries can be raised via the online postbox in Public Contracts Scotland or PCS-Tender (if the procurement officer is using this portal).

Centre of Expertise

Queries can be raised with the relevant Centre of Expertise if your query is regarding a specific sector e.g. education (APUC), health (NSS), local government (Scotland Excel) or central government (Scottish Procurement).

Supplier Development Programme

If you are a Scottish Small Medium Enterprise (SME) or a Third Sector Organisation advice and guidance is available through the Supplier Development Programme (SDP).  SDP provide free training and support as well as events around Scotland.

Business Gateway

Business Gateway provides practical help, advice and support for new and growing businesses in Scotland, such as:

  • Magazines / e-bulletins / newsletters / leaflets;

  • Telephone help/support centre;

  • Training courses and events;

  • One-on-one consultancy support.

P4P: Partnership for Procurement

P4P supports Scotland's Third Sector to access public procurement.  Their support includes:events: workshops; online resources such as templates; consortia working.

Social Enterprise Network Scotland

Social Enterprise Network Scotland (SNEScot) provide support for to organisations who create work for those who face barriers to employment .  They provide: information and advice; business development support; events and training; fostering collaboration.

Also supports the networking of social entrepreneurs, and are working to establish and maintain a support network for social enterprises.

Scottish Procurement

As well as providing this Supplier Journey website, Scottish Procurement also provide support and guidance via gov.scot: the Scottish Government website includes a section on Public Procurement in Scotland, which includes a range of information including legislation.

The Single Point of Enquiry

The Single Point of Enquiry (SPoE) - is an impartial point of contact where suppliers can seek advice or raise concerns if they are dissatisfied with specific public procurement practices.  It’s important to note that the SPoE does not have any legal powers regarding a tender decision made by a public sector body.

The Procurement Journey

The Procurement Journey is a website which contains guidance written for public sector procurement officers.  This takes procurement officers through the complete procurement process.  It is useful for suppliers to refer to this to gain an understanding of why procurement officers are asking for information in their tenders.

Cyber Resilience

Further information on the approach the Scottish public sector takes to cyber resilience, including the Cyber Security Procurement Support Tool, can be found on the Scottish Government website.

You can access authoritative advice and support to improve your organisational cyber resilience at the following links:

Public Contracts Scotland and PCS-T

Both online resourcing portals include their own user guidance to support you through using these systems, as per below: