In-Tend - e-Sourcing Solution

The future of doing business with Portsmouth City Council

As some of our business partners will be aware, over recent years we have been piloting an e-Contract management system for the tendering of certain goods and services. Following a competitve process we have now chosen an e-Contract management system called In-Tend, which we consider will not only provide good value to us but also to you as one of our business partners and to our business community as a whole.  Access to the system can be found from the External Link to the right.  However we strongly recommend you read the following before taking this option. 

How does it work?

The system is fully web-based and is used to advertise requirements for services and goods being sought by us (such as tender and quotation adverts) and allow suppliers to express interest in such opportunities. The system also helps the secure transfer of documents between us and the suppliers through each stage of the tender process, from evalution of PQQs, through to short-listing of suppliers, evaluation of tender returns and finally award of contract. The system is also used for smaller value, less complex quotation exercises.

When will it happen?

The system has now been fully rolled out across the authority on a phased directorate by directorate approach and is now the only way  in which tenders and quotation exercises will be conducted by us.

What do I need to do?

In order to ensure that you do not miss out on any business opportunities with us, you must log onto the In-Tend website and register your company details. You can access the site by using the "In-Tend supplier site" link to the right. At the bottom of this page you will also find some helpful documents on using In-Tend. We urge you to use the short registration guide which we have developed to assist you through the registration process and ensure that you get the most out of using the site.

In registering with the system it is important that you allocate your organisation to business categories appropriate to your competencies. This is covered in the "Supplier registration user guide" below and we have also attached a copy of the "Business category classification model" for your reference.

In addition to the registration guide you will also find the "Supplier document return user guide" which has been developed to aid you in transmitting documents through the system when you are taking part in tender and quotation exercises. We suggest that you familiarise yourself with the contents of this after registering.

Where can I find out more?

We have prepared a "Frequently asked questions" document which you can find below. It contains important additional information on the system and how we are proposing to use it. We recommend that you take a few moments to read it.

More information

After using any of these documents we would welcome any comments, positive or negative, that will help us to improve them. You can email us at procurement@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.

From September 2007 we will be holding monthly open days at the Professional Centre, Cosham where we will provide a brief training course on how to correctly use InTend and we will be available to answer questions. Availability is limited, so if you have an interest in this please use the link to the right to find out the dates and how to apply.

Associated documents:

  Supplier Registration User Guide  (0.59 MB)
Supplier Document Return User Guide  (0.89 MB)
Business Category Classification Model  (0.05 MB)
Supplier Document Viewer Guide  (0.51 MB)
Frequently Asked Questions  (0.06 MB)