The council is required to advertise tender opportunities in order to introduce competition and secure best value.

We will usually advertise these opportunities on our Tendering page.

For lower-value contracts below the EU procurement thresholds, we also advertise on the Contracts Finder website.

If there is a niche or specialist requirement, the council will also place an advertisement in relevant trade publications.

EU procurement thresholds

For contracts that exceed the EU procurement thresholds, all purchasing within the public sector must be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union(OJEU).

These contracts are open to competition across the whole of Europe, to aid the free movement of goods and services in the EU.

When contracts are subject to the EU Procurement Directives, the council is subject to regulations in order to ensure that contracts are awarded in an open, transparent and non-discriminatory way.

The current EU procurement thresholds are:

• Services contracts: £181,302
• Supplies contracts: £181,302
• Works contracts: £4,551,413
• Social Services contracts: £615,278