FAQ

Does the City of London Corporation have a supplier database?

The City of London Corporation’s Local Procurement Project aims to maximise contract opportunities for local suppliers based in the boroughs that surround the City of London.

To help deliver the aim of the project, the City of London has developed an internal supplier database to assist staff in their procurement activities. The database highlights local suppliers, but also includes others beyond these areas.

Suppliers can register for the COL supplier database by completing the online form. There is no charge for registering on this database.

Implementation of the supplier database supports the City of London’s new procurement policy. This mandates procurement staff to invite at least one local supplier from the Local Procurement Project’s target boroughs1 to quote when procuring for goods and services valued between £500 - £139,893 (EU Public Procurement threshold) and for works valued between £500 - £300,000.

What do you mean by local?

It has been agreed for ease of reference and for the sake of clarity that whole postcodes be allocated to boroughs as above. There are some instances where the borough boundaries split postal codes so that they appear in two or more boroughs. A pragmatic view has therefore been taken to determine ‘best borough fit’ depending on the geographical size of each split portion.

What sorts of goods and services are you looking for from local suppliers?

• Design services
• Packaging
• Tools
• First Aid
• Cleaning suppliers
• Plastic sample bags
• T-shirts and screen printing services
• Events catering 

I have heard about the City of London’s Community Strategy. How is this relevant to me as a supplier?

We will be asking companies tendering for corporation contracts to demonstrate how they are able to assist the City of London in achieving its Community Services targets. This is particularly in relation to the following objective as listed under the ‘World Class City’ theme:

"to maximise employment opportunities for local people (who live in the City / City fringe) and opportunities for local businesses to access contracts for goods and services".

What are community benefit clauses and how do they relate to me as a potential supplier of the City of London?

Community benefit clauses can be included in larger contracts and ask Contractors to help the City of London achieve its Community Strategy targets. Community benefit clauses will vary dependent on what the subject matter of the contract. That is, the supplier will agree to purchase x% of goods and services (used in delivering the contract) in the local procurement project target boroughs. Targets can also be set in relation to local labour.

What are the unique selling points (USPs) and the benefits of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?

• Lower costs (smaller overheads)
• Innovation and responsiveness
• Flexibility
• Quality of service and relationship
• Specialists

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