Public Procurement and Property

Coming soon to Public Contracts Scotland: electronic ESPD

August 3, 2017 by Sarah McLeod No Comments | Category PCS, Public Contracts Scotland

From April next year, all public bodies in Scotland will need to issue and accept the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) (Scotland) electronically. To help public bodies to achieve this we are working to provide an online ESPD service that will be added into Public Contracts Scotland and will be available to use by all Scottish public bodies.

We estimate that the electronic ESPD will be available to users in early 2018.

What functionality will the service provide?

The aim is to provide buyers and suppliers with an easy-to-use ESPD service. The service will allow buyers to create and issue ESPDs, and to link them to their contract notices.

Suppliers will also be able to use the new service to complete and submit their ESPD responses online. The service will be available on the existing PCS portal and users will not need to re-register or log-in separately.

The service will not include online evaluation functionality, but suppliers’ ESPD responses will be downloadable in MS Excel and CSV formats, so you won’t need to re-enter any of the information when evaluating. Online evaluation functionality may be developed at a later stage.

Will training be provided?

We do not expect there to be a need for training as the new ESPD service will be based on the same functionality that is already available so users will be familiar with the layout and process. We will also be making the ESPD service available on the PCS training site, which will allow users to become familiar with the new service before it goes live. User guides and the helpdesk will also be available.

We plan to run a number of regional workshops before the service becomes available, to promote and demonstrate the tool and answer any questions you may have.

The Procurement Journey is a good place to find best practice guidance on the practical use of the ESPD.

What should I do if I currently use PCS-Tender to create my ESPDs?

The ESPD (Scotland) within PCS-Tender will still be available so if you are a PCS-Tender user you should continue to use it as you would normally. This new service is primarily aimed at public bodies that are not currently using PCS-Tender and that do not have access to an online version of the ESPD.

If you have any queries please contact either:

Steve Patterson, email steven.patterson@gov.scot or Laura Martin, email laura.martin@gov.scot.

More information is also available on the procurement website.

Tags: ESPD (Scotland), European Single Procurement Document, PCS, procurement best practice, Public Contracts Scotland, Scottish Procurement

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