Assessing the suitability of supplier consortia for public procurement contracts

Abstract

This study offers a unique contribution to the existing research on collaborative working by exploring the buy side challenges facing public procurement teams when managing Collaborative Network Organizations (CNOs) termed ‘supplier consortia’ in this study. Two online management tools are proposed. A Procurement Assessment Model (PAM) guides buyers in assessing the suitability of public contracts for consortia bids. A Bid/No Bid model is offered to help suppliers align their CNO to the procurement and specification. This study is relevant for the public and private sectors but both tools proposed have been adopted by the Welsh Government (UK) and included as updates within the formal Joint Bidding Guide. The Joint Bidding Guide has been developed, published and tested by the Welsh Government since 2013.