UFAM continues to search for growth points and sales channels for domestic furniture makers. A marathon of web procurement webinars was launched on 5 of May, in which participants can help the industry overcome the crisis and gain new sales channels.

We started with the topic: “New rules for participants in Prozorro procurement. Let’s take part in tenders and win! ”

The speaker of the event was:

Anna Sevostyanova is an expert in the field of public procurement, experience in organizing and conducting tenders in management positions for over 14 years.

More than 12 years of teaching practice – seminars and trainings on public procurement (diplomas of the trainer on public procurement and the KSE Procurement Professionalization Program).

Participated in the working group at the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine to develop a standard for the buyer.

The main success – awareness of the rules of the game

Anna noted that on April 19, new rules for participation in Prozorro public procurement were adopted. Therefore, the webinar was planned to be useful both for those who have already participated in tenders and for beginners. The speaker began her speech with the basics, namely with the choice of the site on Prozorro, where all the important information for participants and customers is structured.

Site selection

Anna offered to hold a master class on using the site, which she uses on her own but noted that there is no difference in functionality, except for personal preferences, the convenience of the interface. So, the E-Tender platform became an example.

How to make templates for search queries and ads

To achieve the goal in the context of furniture, you need to go to the classifier and select the category of interest to you from the section “furniture”, which lists a variety of subcategories. Other nuances can be filled based on your own interests. If you are interested in finding out which procurement you can participate in and screening outbids that are in the process of execution, you should mark “pending bids” and “refinement period” in the “auction period” tab. By selecting these characteristics before the ad appears in Prozorro, you will get more time for quality preparation for the order. Next, you need to choose the type of procurement procedure, indicating on the recommendation of Anna “open bidding with publication in English”, “open bidding”, “simplified / sub-threshold procedure”, which have a difference in cost and conditions. Anna also focused on the expected growth of proposals after changes in legislation, which provide for a mandatory threshold of simplified procedures to 50 thousand hryvnias.

Next, you need to select the region of your favourite orders. It is mandatory to choose the classifier DK 021: 2015 (CPV), according to the categories of which you will receive ads. After that, you need to save the template, and for convenience give it a name. This template will send ads to your account.

The speaker noted that the purchase of furniture is always relevant, regardless of the time of year, as is the case with other products.

Simplified procurement procedure

By law, the customer only needs to place a simplified procurement procedure, adhere to the principles: non-discrimination, equal choice of participants, transparency, competition; minimum requirements to the standards of the specified specification, technical requirements, draft agreement, expected cost, terms of performance and tender documentation. Anna recommended reading the agreement carefully and making suggestions for changes, providing arguments. She stressed the importance of awareness of the law for appeals and the use of their clauses to defend their interests and amend the agreement.

The tender documentation consists of:

● general requirements;       

● qualification requirements;       

● basic requirements;       

● applications.       

All changes that were adopted in the public procurement legislation were borrowed from European directives and aimed at protecting participants. The changes provide for consultation of market participants; ability to correct errors and add electronic signatures. The legislation also provides for anti-dumping mechanisms that protect participants and customers. The innovations also affected the requirements to be met by the subject of the procurement, they are set out in the technical specification. Each bidder has the right, referring to regulations, to require changes to the tender documents in paragraphs that violate the rights of the bidder and restrict the market. In addition to the requirements, you can also appeal to the inappropriate requirements of the subject of procurement.

Preparation of the tender offer

The documentation is prepared in accordance with the specified means, requirements and forms, which the customer indicates in the documentation, and which can be appealed and amended at the request of the participant on the basis of regulations of the Law “On Public Procurement”.

Anna recommended preparing the tender documents, carefully following these requirements.

The tender offers must be filled in by an authorized person who has a digital signature and a power of attorney.

The main changes in the legislation, which the customer draws attention to, are in Article 17 and relate to the refusal to participate in the procurement procedure. Anna focused on the new provisions of the Law, including Item 10, according to the rules of which participation in open bidding above UAH 20 million should take place only if the person authorized by the order is authorized to participate in the anti-corruption program. According to the eleventh point of the procurement procedure, it is necessary to provide information stating that sanctions in the form of a ban are not applied against the bidder. The certificate can be obtained electronically on the website of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in the Unified State Register.

Qualification criteria

The full list of criteria can be found in Article 16 of the Law on Public Procurement. The Speaker drew attention to the new version of this Law, according to which the main requirements for participants are: participation in a similar agreement, which must clearly state the subject of procurement; availability of employees with appropriate qualifications. On this point you can appeal to the Law on Personal Data Protection; Equipment and material and technical base.

The customer has no right to demand documents which you cannot have on features of your activity.

When participating in open bidding with publication in English, it is obligatory to enclose the bid separately from the general tender, in a specially designated subdivision: “bid”.

Participation in the auction

The first step is taken by the one who states the lowest cost. Subsequent years are made at least one step lower (indicated in the tender announcement and account for 0.5% of the total purchase price). It is important to prepare for the auction in advance, calculating the possibility of reducing the cost. It is also necessary to eliminate all dumping mechanisms that can not increase the cost. It is possible to increase the cost only under the conditions of market price fluctuations and documentary confirmation by the authorized bodies.

It is possible to appeal against procurement procedures

It is important to file an appeal correctly, using the articles of the Law on Public Procurement.

Anna noted that the basis of success in tenders is the timely fulfilment of conditions and communication with the customer, which affect the formation of a positive image of the participant’s company. It is better to ask any questions to customers before submitting the offer, all phones are freely available on the site. At the end of the webinar, Anna answered questions from the audience and offered her advice to UAM members after the webinar, for which we are sincerely grateful.

Anna’s contacts can be obtained on request from the UAFM Directorate.

Let’s create the best furniture environment in Ukraine!