To quote or to tender, that is the question? The time has come again: your current contract is about to expire. Now you are faced with the daunting task of finding a new school supplier. It’s time to open the contact book to find three suppliers and get your three quotes.
But wait… Is this the best option for your school? Quote, quote, quote.
Collecting three quotes to help appoint a new school supplier might seem like the best option. As it is the tried and tested approach. While the three-quote approach is perfect for smaller day-to-day purchases, there are some drawbacks to consider when the purchase is very large or outsourced.
- Negative responses: many suppliers might not want to quote as they feel they are never awarded the contract. But to satisfy governing body and government requirements, three quotes are needed. This means you need to spend more of your precious time finding another supplier to ask for a quote.
- Limitations: the market is a vast landscape. Whether you are looking for a new uniform supplier, a landscaper, or a new security company, there are countless options. But only looking at three quotes vastly limits the possible savings your school could find if more companies had the opportunity to quote.
- Time: once all the quotes have been received, each one must be thoroughly vetted and compared to the other options. Sometimes this can be a quick task, but what about the large contracts that have pages and pages of specifications to peruse? Or dealing with quotes in multiple different formats? Suddenly, weeks are spent just trying to sort through all the information before a new supplier is even appointed.
- No negotiations: Each supplier has quoted individually, and you must trust they have given you the best price, and that they will provide the best service. There is no real ability to negotiate with multiple suppliers to ensure the best supplier is chosen for your school.
Three quotes, four problems, one solution.
The answer to the question is simple: run a professional tender. Remove the hurdles that school supplier quotes present by putting your contractual requirements in our hands, whether they be cleaning, textbooks, or solar needs. We will put them out to tender. The benefits of running a tender are numerous.
- Multiple suppliers: you have the opportunity to allow SchoolAdvisor to put your needs out to dozens of companies, ensuring that you really can find the best of the best. We run the tender and have multiple credible suppliers on our system. From hygiene to landscaping, we invite multiple companies to tender on your behalf.
- No more paperwork: we take the piles of paper out of your hands, freeing up your time to do what you do best – look after the interests of your school. We will sift through all the information, and you will receive comparable and factual information from each supplier. The facts are there for you to make the best decision about your new supplier.
- Meeting your school’s needs: a tender is drawn up around your school’s individual needs. You know that your new supplier will meet your needs; a tender matches your school’s needs to suppliers that can best meet them.
- Best price, best quality: as the finalists, you will still be able to present three options to your Governing bodies, but they will be the best three options, compiled from an extensive list of suppliers, each meeting your needs and offering the best possible price to your school.
Run a tender today.
Are you looking for a new contracted supplier, or do you feel it is time to change your current contracted suppliers? Then running a tender can make the task of finding the best option a smooth, transparent, efficient, and easy process. SchoolAdvisor is here to handle your tender. Running a tender is the answer; reach out today to get started.
