Central Purchasing Body (FOI)

Request

When the SOJ are making a decision on work subject to a tender process, we are told that the contract is awarded by a central purchasing body.

Could you please tell me:-

A

Who makes up that body?

B

If there is any form of appeal?

C

Where the tender information is made public?

Response

A

Government departments follow the Government of Jersey’s procurement processes as defined in Financial Direction 5.1:

Financial Direction 5.1

Financial Directions are issued by the Treasurer under Article 34 of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005. The central purchasing body is a small core team currently responsible for the governance and supporting the organisation through the existing processes. Each department is accountable for its spend and sourcing decisions.

As part of the restructuring of the Government of Jersey this team reports into the newly formed Commercial Services Department comprising the following roles:

• Director of Commercial Services

• Head of Strategic Sourcing

• four Category Managers

• one Procurement and Contract Manager

• three Procurement and Contract officers

B

Although there is not a formal process akin to the EU Procurement Regulations, parties who are not satisfied with the outcome of a competitive process can raise their concerns either directly to Commercial Services or, to the relevant department. At the conclusion of a tender process, unsuccessful bidders are offered a de-brief, providing them with the opportunity to discuss with the organisation the evaluation and decision making process.

All complaints are taken seriously, and issues raised will be reviewed and considered for further investigation. In some cases the complaint may be referred to internal audit or an independent third party subject matter expert.

If the party remains concerned, the Government of Jersey Complaints Panel will review the case. For more information please use the link below.

Government of Jersey Complaints Panel

C

Qualifying tenders are openly advertised on the Government of Jersey tender portal at the following link:

Channel Islands Tenders

Where appropriate they are also advertised in the Jersey Evening Post. In exceptional circumstances tenders may be restricted to a limited number of suppliers and not openly advertised. Exemptions to the process are subject to an internal approval process.