What is procurement?
The stage that buys what the design calls for — specifying, tendering, selecting a supplier and checking what is delivered.
Procurement starts from the issued design: drawings, equipment schedules and technical specifications. These become the tender, which sets out what must be supplied, to what performance and on what commercial terms.
Bids are evaluated on technical compliance, whole-life cost, delivery and support, not price alone. After award, delivered items are checked against the order and specification; a non-compliant item found at this stage is far cheaper to fix than one found after installation.
- Specify. Build the tender from the design documents, with technical and commercial requirements.
- Tender. Issue to suppliers, answer queries and receive bids.
- Evaluate. Assess compliance, compatibility with the existing circuits, CCRs and control system, whole-life cost, delivery programme and support against set criteria.
- Award. Select the supplier, agree the contract and fix the programme.
- Supply. Manufacture, test and deliver, with any factory or site acceptance checks the contract requires.
- Accept. Check items and records against the order, resolve defects and release to installation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1What is procurement in airfield ground lighting?
The lifecycle stage that buys the equipment and services the design calls for. It turns the design specification into a tender, selects a supplier or contractor, awards a contract and checks that what is delivered matches what was specified.
Q2What does procurement start from?
The issued design: drawings, equipment schedules and technical specifications. Procurement documents are built from these, so unclear or incomplete design information usually shows up as bid queries, price variations and delays.
Q3How are bids evaluated?
Against criteria set before the tender is issued. Typically these cover technical compliance with the specification, compatibility with the existing circuits, CCRs and control system, whole-life cost rather than price alone, delivery programme, supplier experience and support, and warranty and spare-parts terms.
Q4Why is technical compliance checked, not just price?
AGL equipment must meet the performance, photometric and electrical requirements in the specification. A cheaper product that does not comply can fail acceptance, or cost more to correct, install and maintain than the saving.
Q5What is checked when equipment is supplied?
Delivered items are compared with the order and specification: type, quantities, markings and documentation such as test, certification and conformity records. Factory or site acceptance checks can be set in the contract, and defects are resolved before installation.
Q6What does procurement hand over to installation?
Accepted equipment and materials, the contract and programme, and the supplier documentation such as datasheets, manuals and warranty terms. These are needed for installation, commissioning and the asset records.
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