The Singapore Government, spanning across individual ministries, departments and statutory boards, buys goods and services worth about S$10 billion each year. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have benefitted immensely from these Government Contracts.
The Government has also been getting in line, the procurement process to level the playing field between larger and smaller suppliers. For e.g.:
- SMEs no longer need to have track records to pre-register for potential tenders.
- The Government has relaxed the rule on the amount of security deposit required from suppliers.
- SMEs will also be able to form consortiums to bid for projects. Forming a consortium is useful for tenders of larger value where small suppliers may not be able to meet the financial and operational requirements on their own.
Types of Goods and Services for which tenders are called
Goods
- All materials, manufactured items, consumables and non-consumables, e.g. computers, furniture, machinery, office equipment and supplies, etc.
Services
- Cleaning, maintenance, repairing, overhauling and testing of goods.
- Consultancy, publishing, advertising, training, etc.
- Construction Services
- Renovation, maintenance works and building works on buildings.
- Installation, maintenance of electrical and mechanical facilities in buildings
Who is in Charge of Purchasing
- Each Government ministry, statutory board or department is in charge of purchasing it s own goods and services.
- The Expenditure and Procurement Policies Unit (EPPU), Defense Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) purchase goods and services that are commonly used by the entire public sector. For e.g. paper, cleaning services, IT security services, courier services etc.
How Does the Government Buy
- The Government buys products and services through 3 procedures based on the value of the contract.
Small Value Purchases (Up to S$3,000)
- The Government buys directly from you or "off the shelf".
- Usually, the Government agency which requires the product or service will ask around for quotations and make a direct purchase.
- These small value purchases are not publicized on Government Electronic Business (GeBIZ) - the Government's procurement portal.
- You can also upload your electronic catalogues into GeBIZ Mall, where Government buyers can browse and issue purchase orders directly to you.
Quotations (S$3,001 to S$70,000)
- The Government requests for a quote online at GeBIZ.
- All businesses that wish to supply can submit a quote on GeBIZ.
- In order to submit a quote, you must first register as a Government Supplier (GeBIZ Trading Partner) on GeBIZ.
Tenders (Above S$70,000)
To tender for a project, a GeBIZ Trading partner is required. There are three types of tenders:
Open: All interested parties can bid. Tenders are posted on GeBIZ.
Selective: A pre-qualification exercise is held to shortlist applicants who are then invited to bid. Tenders are posted on GeBIZ.
Limited: These tenders are by invitation only as they concern national security or are impractical for open tenders.
