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Third Party Accreditation

The Council will ideally work with suppliers who are pre-qualified as "fit to supply" by a recognised third party accreditation body. Suppliers bidding for Council opportunities should ideally be certified by one of the following accreditation schemes recognised by the Council:

A copy of the official certificate issued by the accreditation body must be supplied to the Council. The Council takes a flexible approach to other accreditation schemes, but reserves the right to ask for additional checks or validations at the bidder's expense, where the scheme is not recognised by the Council.

The Council supports Business Link and Federation of Small Businesses initiatives to encourage SMEs to gain independent accreditation in order to reduce their cost of entry to any potential tender opportunities. Previously, any checks on contractors or suppliers were carried out by Council officers at the Council's expense. Not only did this add a cost to every tender project, it also added a further stage to an already lengthy process, and sometimes risked some suppliers being omitted.

Working with suppliers who have pro-actively gained a third party accreditation provides the Council access to a list of independently vetted suppliers who wish to supply the Council. The vetting is a consistent and fair process that takes place annually and over the life of the contract, not just at the point of letting the contract. The Council can also access accredited suppliers from neighbouring areas who have expressed a wish to be considered for contracts with Fareham Borough Council. All our existing suppliers have been invited to become accredited.

The principle of using accredited suppliers affects all Council procurement activities exceeding £20,000 contract value made by the Council. The Council's sourcing officers will check the validity of accreditation certification during a tender process and before a purchasing decision is made.

If you require any further information, please email procurement@fareham.gov.uk




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