Stages to becoming a supplier

Plateforme logistique de Châteauroux - Photo: Hubert Mouillade

Three conditions must be met to become a GRTgaz supplier: i) satisfying GRTgaz’s core requirements; ii) standardising and ensuring fairness in consultations; and iii) obtaining a qualification, if necessary.

Satisfying GRTgaz’s core requirements

A company seeking to work with GRTgaz must fulfil a certain number of criteria, including compliance with legal, judicial and social obligations.

Safety, quality and the environment are three key issues for GRTgaz, as reflected in the technical specifications of its contracts.

This involves:

  • Meeting legal, judicial and social obligations (e.g. the French “LME” law on the modernization of the economy; the so-called “Sapin II” Law),
  • Having sufficient insurance to cover the risks incurred,
  • Being able to communicate with GRTgaz in French,
  • Having an appropriate human, technical and technological organisation, and being able to guarantee consistent lead-times and quality,
  • Complying with obligations relating to safety provisions and working conditions,
  • Accepting the GRTgaz project manager’s systematic accreditation of subcontractors and their payment terms,
  • Being certified by GRTgaz for certain types of material or sensitive services.

GRTgaz uses a standard file for all consultations with selected suppliers. In most cases this includes:

  • The consultation regulation detailing the reception deadline and the tender submission procedure, the documents to submit, and the contract award criteria,
  • The Special Technical Terms and Conditions (Cahier des Clauses Techniques Particulières - CCTP): expression of needs, safety and the environment,
  • The General (CGA) and Special (CPA) Terms and Conditions of Purchase.

GRTgaz carries out the majority of its consultations via an on-line platform, SInergiA, that is accessible to invited tenderers. SInergiA is accessed with secure codes that are both specific to the individual and that allow the person to be identified. It allows tenderers to download files and submit their technical and commercial proposal, in accordance with regulations.

The suppliers’ qualification procedure only applies to materials and services deemed sensitive by GRTgaz (e.g.: pipes, valves, fittings, metering control equipment, pipeline installation, works on industrial pipes, safety, etc.). 

The purpose of the qualification system is to:

  • Put together a pool of selected companies for a given segment or activity. GRTgaz checks the supplier’s sustainability, their capacity to enter into a contract, their ability to carry out the services to a high standard, their resources and their references,
  • Approve the suitability and performance of installed products in relation to regulatory and standards constraints, and their technical reference framework,
  • Manage the supplier selection phase for recurrent purchases.