Doing business with the Scottish Government

The Scottish Government’s approach to procurement (the process of buying goods, services and works) is guided by public procurement policy and legislation in Scotland and is one way that we can have a positive effect on the economy.

Becoming a supplier

The Supplier Journey provides guidance on how to bid for public sector contracts for goods, services and works.

The information provided sets out what you need to do at each stage in that process. It gives information on:

• how you can find out about business opportunities
• how to bid for business
• what to expect when delivering the contract

 It also tells you what support is available to help you win business, and what you can do if you are unsuccessful.

Current tender and contract opportunities

You can access current tender and contract opportunities on the Public Contracts Scotland website.

Receiving payments and grant funding

From October 2024 we use Oracle Cloud to pay you for the provision of goods, services and works, or to manage your grant funding payments.

If you have been awarded a contract or grant offer you will need a purchase order to receive grant funding or payment for the provision of goods, services and works on Oracle Cloud.

We have a ‘no purchase order, no pay’ policy and you should not carry out work or provide services or goods without a purchase order being in place. Purchase orders will be sent by email.

We have a commitment to pay valid invoices in 10 working days, as long as the invoice has a valid purchase order.

Invoicing

We use the Oracle Supplier Portal, which allows suppliers to access their transactions and submit invoices directly into the Oracle Cloud. If you have not been contacted but are interested in onboarding, please get in touch with the SG P2P Governance (P2PG) team at p2ps@gov.scot. 

We also use the national eInvoicing portal. 

Procurement rules and procedures

Value for money

All contracts are awarded based on value for money, which is the best balance between quality and cost. Cost includes the purchase price and all other associated costs over the lifetime of the requirement, such as maintenance and disposal.

Goods, services and works must be obtained through proper competition unless there is a valid reason not to.

Sustainable procurement

We are committed to sustainable procurement. This is where the procurement process is focused on achieving value for money on a whole life basis and generating benefits not only for us, but also for society, the economy and the environment.

Transparency

All purchasing activities will be carried out in a professional and ethical manner, incorporating transparency, fairness and accountability.

Equal opportunity for all

We actively encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to do business with us and are committed to developing and promoting equal opportunity for all.