Commodity/Service Characteristics
The purpose of this section is to:
- determine the requirement,
- agree what is in/what is out of scope and
- consider e-Commerce implications with the User Information Group (UIG) and other key stakeholders.
You should start by breaking down the requirement into its sub-commodities/services and identify the specific products/services within each category.
Use one of the templates below to assist in this process:
Once you have identified the specific products and services it is important to consider their specific environmental or social characteristics.
You should use labels (if they exist in the marketplace) that comply with these characteristics e.g. those relating to fair trade. Please note, bidders should be allowed to offer other, appropriate means of proof.
You should also consider whether you should include special contractual conditions which relate to the performance of the contract. This may cover:
- economic,
- social,
- environmental,
- innovation-related
- employment-related conditions.
It is a legal requirement that each contract includes conditions which are reasonably necessary to ensure that the supplier(s) comply with environmental, social and labour laws. These conditions must be linked to the subject matter of the contract. These conditions of contract must be included in the procurement documents. At this stage you may wish to consider how the goods/services are ordered and invoiced e.g. electronic purchase orders, purchasing card, consolidated invoices and self-billing.
Guide to Making Content Decisions
You should consider whether or not the commodity/service you are buying is capable of being catalogued or not.
This simple Guide to Making Content Decisions at the bottom of the Pecos Content Management page will guide the buyer in the right direction.
If the commodity/service you are buying is to be catalogued, this electronic content must be provided for in the contract via Pecos Content Management (PCM) .
Sometimes it is appropriate to build the ITT documents in a format where the evaluation is based on catalogue submission. If this is the case, the Contract Notice or the invitation to confirm interest as a result of a Prior Information Notice (PIN) should detail this clearly. Further guidance is provided at the notification of contract award decision and at the develop documents stages.
The key characteristics for each sub-commodity/service can now be identified and agreed by using the Key Commodity/Service Characteristics template.
Care and Support Services
Example of Care and Support Services Service Tree (Residential Care).
Digital/ICT Requirements
If your procurement is of a Digital or ICT nature, consideration must be given to the Digital Public Services Scotland Programme. This strategy sets out the collective ambitions and national level actions at sector, cluster or organisational level. Since this strategy was published more Current Standards, Guidelines and Recommendations have been developed as outlined within the ICT High Level Operating Model.
Further information on how to assess and manage cyber risks as part of the procurement process, including Guidance Note on Supplier Cyber Security.