Case studies

Dundee Charity Bids for First Time

Two members of staff from the University of Dundee Nursery Ltd. attended the Supplier Development Programme’s free training session on how to bid for Dundee City Council’s 1140 Hours Framework opportunity through Scotland’s public sector procurement website, Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) along with more than 50 public and private early learning providers in October 2019.

“I came to the training with the hope that I would not be as confused afterwards as I was about PCS, because that was really confusing. I had never used that website before, so I was really worried when I saw all the Buyers’ accounts,” said Malgorzata Mazanka, a childcare provider with the University of Dundee Nursery Ltd.

She continued: “When you provide childcare, you have five or six websites to register on and keep up-to-date with, so PCS is another and it can all be rather time consuming. Now that we have completed the training, I feel much better because the trainer showed us where to go on the PCS website, and what to do.”

The University of Dundee Nursery usually works under the University’s Procurement Department, but nursery staff have been advised that this particular contract opportunity is not being picked up by the service. Therefore, there is a sharp learning curve for staff within a very short period of time, and SDP is helping to fill that knowledge gap. The Supplier Development Programme offers free training to charities and supported businesses that are based in Scotland, and Dundee City Council arranged the training sessions to support all potential suppliers based in the area in advance of the contract opportunity.

Another member of staff at the University of Dundee Nursery, Jacky Jones, added: “Though I feel much more confident, I didn’t realise there would be as much work involved with this tendering process as there is. We really appreciate the advance support the Council is providing through the Supplier Development Programme. It will be helpful to have the additional information that was provided during the training to reference when we are filling out our tender next month.”