Contract FAQs
Questions:
Question: What goods and services are covered by Scotland Excel contracts?
Answer: Scotland Excel manages the procurement of goods and services of Category B goods and services that are commonly used by local authorities and are of strategic value and importance. A complete list of our contracts is available on the contract register. Other commodities are procured directly by local authorities.
Question: Where can I find Scotland Excel contracts?
Answer: All Scotland Excel contracts can be found in the online catalogue via our password protected Members area. We do not publish a paper catalogue.
Question: What are Category A contracts and how do I access them?
Answer: Procurement Scotland manages all Category A contracts. Category A contracts include goods and services that are used by all local public sector bodies in Scotland including: Corporate Services, IT Hardware, IT Software, IT Services, Office Equipment, Professional Services, Telecoms, and Utilities. Go to our commodity categories page for a full explanation.
Question: What are Category B contracts and how do I access them?
Answer: All Category B contracts are managed by Scotland Excel. They are commodities which fall outside of Category A scope but are commonly purchased across the local authority sector and which maybe collaboratively purchased to facilitate efficiency and competitiveness.
Go to our commodity categories page for a full explanation. If you have a specific query about a Category B contract, please make an online enquiry.
Question: What are Category C contracts and how do I access them?
Answer: Category C contracts cover all goods and services that do not fall under Category A or Category B. Local authorities manage Category C contracts directly. Occasionally these are known as Category C1 contracts where collaboration between a small geographical cluster of councils may facilitate increased competitiveness and efficiency. Go to our commodity categories page for a full explanation.
Question: What is a framework agreement?
Answer: The Public Contracts Regulations define a framework agreement as:
"an agreement or other arrangement between one or more contracting authorities and one or more economic operators which establishes the terms (in particular the terms as to price and, where appropriate, quantity) under which the economic operator will enter into one or more contracts with a contracting authority in the period during which the framework agreement applies".
Many of our contracts are framework agreements as this allows our customers flexibility to meet their needs and provides opportunities for more suppliers.
These arrangements are agreed in accordance with Scotland Excel's Standard Terms And Conditions for Framework Contracts, Call Off Contracts and Single Purchase Contracts.
Question: Is the supplier I wish to use on the framework for that contract?
Answer: Details of the suppliers on our contracts can be found in the online catalogue via our password protected Members area.
Question: Can Scotland Excel source products for me?
Answer: Scotland Excel no longer sources products on an individual basis for customers. If you have a purchasing requirement that is not met by one of our contracts, please contact the Corporate Procurement Team at your local authority.
Question: Who are my Corporate Procurement Team?
Answer: All local authorities have a Corporate Procurement Team (CPT) to assist with the purchase of goods and services for their council. We work closely with these teams. For contact details for the CPT for your council, please check your council website.
Question: What do I do if I am unhappy with a product or service?
Answer: Use our online enquiry facility to register a complaint. All complaints are logged and monitored.