Somerset Council: Doing Business With Us

The following excerpt was originally published on somerset.gov.uk, Somerset Council spends over £300 million each year on procuring and commissioning a wide range of services, goods and works. It is our responsibility to use this money in the best possible way to achieve council objectives. 

Somerset Council have a team of procurement and contract management specialists who work with service areas and commissioners to ensure that the Councils Contract Procedure Rules are followed. Contract Procedure Rules exist to ensure that the procurement process is open, honest and transparent.  

Council officers will follow these rules and any associated Public Contract Regulations or Procurement Act requirements when undertaking procurement activities. We also have an obligation to publish information to the public on what we spend and who we spend it with. We also want suppliers to be able to see what current and upcoming opportunities we have and how they can work with us to ensure the best value is achieved. 

Somerset Council use an e-tendering portal to run tenders in a legally compliant way.  

In line with many other local authorities in the South West, Somerset Council use the Proactis Supplier Network.  

We use this portal when running a competitive procedure to select a suitable supplier for many of our higher value tenders. The portal provides an effective way for councils to engage and communicate with suppliers. It provides a single place for buyers and suppliers to access and respond to new business opportunities and contracts. 

For contracts below £100,000 for goods and services, and £500,000 for works, suppliers are encouraged to register with the council using the Doing Business with the Council form.  

Your details will then be passed to the relevant officer to consider when requesting quotes in accordance with the table above. 

All you need to know as a small business about the new Procurement Act 

The Procurement Act went live February 2025. This act aims to drive greater efficiency, transparency and fairness in public sector procurement. Working with our Affiliated Chambers and the Federation of Small Business, we have put together a series of events across the county and encourage businesses to sign up and come along to hear from Procurement experts about the Act, the changes in the Procurement law, how to access opportunities and how you can be successful in winning public sector contracts. 

• 13 May 2025, 5.45pm to 6.45pm at the Firepool Centre for Digital Innovation, Taunton – Book to attend on Eventbrite 

• 25 June 2025, 8am to 10am at Victoria Park Community Centre, Victoria Park Drive, Bridgwater TA6 7AS. Find out more on the Bridgwater Chamber of Commerce website. 

• 23 July 2025, 1pm to 2pm – Online webinar by the Somerset Chamber of Commerce 

There is no charge to attend any of these sessions. 

For more information, please visit: How to do business with us