JCAD core system downtime
The JCAD core risk management system will be unavailable between 5pm on Friday 22 November and midnight on Thursday 28 November whilst a system upgrade takes place.
Essential checks before starting an request for quotations (RFQ) procurement process.
Before you start a new request for quotations (RFQ) process, you must check:
Some purchases are affected by conditions that mean you'll need to follow a different buying process.
These conditions include considerations related to:
You must check whether any of these conditions apply before you start a procurement activity.
Mandated contracts are pre-approved suppliers that all employees can use to buy items and services that are frequently needed.
When you need to buy something, you must check the list of mandated contracts (pre-approved suppliers) first to see if your need can be met using an existing contract.
If you're buying software, licences, or non-standard hardware you must first get approval.
If you are using grant funding to make a purchase, you must make sure goods or service you need to buy meets the relevant grant conditions.
To arrange the grant to be paid to your supplier, contact your service area's finance business partner. You should be able to find out who your finance business partner by asking your line manager or head of service.
The procurement process asks suppliers to give you a price against your requirements. It also asks suppliers to answer supporting questions about quality to make sure that what they are saying they will provide you meets your minimum standards.
Where these minimum standards are met, we say that this means the tender is being evaluated on price only.
If you need more quality assurances other than minimum standards, contact procurement.team@essex.gov.uk to get advice your next steps.