Procurement at the Combined Authority

Information about tendering and procuring with West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Public Procurement Changes 

The new Procurement Act (2023) came into force in February 2025, The Cabinet Office have released a series of Knowledge Drops aimed at Suppliers and SME/VCSE’s to gain an understanding of the new legislation. You can watch them on the .gov website, linked below.

See also The Procurement Pathway for the tool that guides Public Sector Contracting Authorities through the end-to-end commercial lifecycle

 

Categories of goods and services the West Yorkshire Combined Authority purchase

The Combined Authority (CA) procures a multitude of goods, services, and works across many categories.  The largest of these are:

  • Built Environment
  • Transport Services
  • Professional Services
  • Technology

In the interest of fairness and transparency, we publish the following documents on the ‘What We Spend and How We Spend it’ page on a quarterly basis: 

  • Tenders invited
  • Contracts Register

By carefully examining these documents, suppliers can identify opportunities which have been recently put out to tender, and whether there may be any future opportunities that could be of interest to them.

Business Opportunities

The CA constantly seeks to attract high-quality suppliers of all classifications and sizes.

CA tenders are published via the e-procurement system ‘YORtender’. Suppliers can express their interest in any forthcoming opportunities by firstly registering with the portal.

Registration provides access to all open live tenders for the CA and West Yorkshire Region. In addition, some opportunities will be advertised on Contracts Finder and Find a Tender Service (FTS).

To register your business, visit the YORtender Supplier Registration page.  When you have completed the form tick the acceptance of terms and conditions box, and click the blue save button.

Registration is free. When the form has been submitted on the portal it will automatically give you access to available opportunities from the CA and wider region.

Further instructions on how to register as a new supplier on YORtender.

Where to find tenders

There are two ways you can find tenders:

Direct invitations

If you're specifically invited to bid on a tender, you'll receive an email notification with a direct link to the opportunity.

Open tenders

  1. Log in to the procurement system.
  2. From the home screen, select "CTM Published Tenders".
  3. In the filtering options at the top:
  4. Change "Local" to "All".
  5. Click the blue "More Options" button.
  6. Change "All Buyers" to "West Yorkshire Combined Authority".

This will display all the currently available tenders from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Further information can be found in the System User Guide.

Monthly Pipeline Publications

View our most recent External Pipeline and Work in Progress report using the link below

Monthly Pipeline and Work in Progress Report - May 2025

How the Combined Authority purchases goods, services, and works

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority follows specific procedures to ensure fair competition and best value when acquiring goods, services, and works. These procedures are guided by the Public Contract Regulations (PCRs).

  • Open Tender: This is the most open process. Any company can express interest, request bid documents, and submit a proposal
  • Restricted Tender: This is a two-step process. Any company can initially show interest, but only those who meet certain qualifications (assessed during pre-qualification) will be invited to submit a formal bid
  • Selective Tender: This is used for smaller purchases. Only a select group of pre-chosen suppliers are invited to submit a quote.
  • Request for Quote (RFQ): Similar to a Selective Tender, but for smaller purchases. Only pre-selected suppliers receive a Request for Quote (instead of a formal Invitation to Tender) and are invited to submit a quote.

The Combined Authority’s Procurement Strategy

Strong procurement is essential for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to be prepared for future challenges. This means having reliable resources and using the best practices available to get the most out of every purchase.

The focus should be on maximizing value for money. This includes not just financial savings, but also broader positive impacts for the community, such as social benefits.

To achieve this, the CA follows proven procurement methods like category and contract management. These best practices are the foundation of our procurement strategy.

Read our strategy document.

Tender assessments by the Combined Authority

To get the best deal possible, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority uses competitive bidding processes that focus on value for money. This means they consider not just the price, but also the quality of what's being offered.

When evaluating tenders, both cost and value matter, therefore tenders are scored on both price and quality criteria. The specific weightings for each will be explained in the tender documents you receive (Invitation to Tender - ITT or Request for Quote - RTQ). These documents will be available on our online tendering portal.

For any further assistance or queries, please contact the Commercial Team at CommercialTeam@westyorks-ca.gov.uk

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