'Good' pre-market engagement
CPD recently asked a group or private sector suppliers to describe what good pre-market engagement looks like. They recommended the following:
- carry out pre-market engagement before you have completed your business case
- actively seeking supplier views on important issues or decisions which influence value for money on a project or programme
- ask tailored rather than generic questions
- use pre-market engagement to inform your strategic approach to a complex project or programme (for example if you are considering splitting the requirement into a number of different procurements)
- use pre-market engagement to inform how you write the Specification of Requirements, and to ensure the procurement route chosen, and the tender documents, are appropriate and well-developed (addressing key issues raised by suppliers)
- consider conducting your pre-market engagement in two stages - firstly to inform the strategic approach, and secondly to inform the preparation of tender documents
- have a feedback mechanism that helps suppliers understand where and how their participation in pre-market engagement has informed the way that the project is being taken forward
Further information
For public sector customers in the NICS departments or agencies, a helpful course on carrying out pre-market engagement is available from Centre for Applied Learning - find out more on the Links system.
For other public sector officials, ask your Centre of Procurement Expertise for advice.