Catalyst

[MkII]

What the hell IS Catalyst - the successor to GCat all about?

Is there a list of suppliers anywhere?

 

Are we entitled to expect anything as standard?

 

Is there any reference anywher about it?

 

Wales seems to have it's own procurement 'thing' going on - but we here mainly use uk suppliers and they give us the discounts.

[Oops_my_bad]

We use 2 catalyst suppliers as far as im aware - ITindex/probrand and insight. All I know is they are damn cheap.

[MkII]

ProBrand yeah - they're now refusing to deal with returns for us - such a nice company - moving on...

[russdev]

 

Russell

[dan400007]

Never really read much about it. All I know is that its some government logo to say that the company will give best pricing to the public sector.

 

Also means that you don't have to bother getting 3 quotes.

[localzuk]

Also means that you don't have to bother getting 3 quotes.

 

Depending on your LA of course. We still have to get 3 quotes, even if it is a catalyst supplier, down here in Somerset.

[Ravening_Wolf]

I have used a few Catalyst suppliers in the past but have yet to see anything to rave about. I was also approached by a ProBrand offshoot trying to get me to sign up to some kind of paid-for price indexing service. Thanks but no thanks.

[torledo]

Also means that you don't have to bother getting 3 quotes.

 

Depending on your LA of course. We still have to get 3 quotes, even if it is a catalyst supplier, down here in Somerset.

 

That's surely 3 quotes for products over a certain amount. Say £5000 pounds.

[dan400007]

Never asked how much the order needed to be before getting in 3 quotes as I've always ended up using a Cataylst supplier (Insight or ProBrand).

[localzuk]

Also means that you don't have to bother getting 3 quotes.

 

Depending on your LA of course. We still have to get 3 quotes, even if it is a catalyst supplier, down here in Somerset.

 

That's surely 3 quotes for products over a certain amount. Say £5000 pounds.

 

Nope, our LA wants 3 quotes for every order, or thats what I'm told.

[Oops_my_bad]

Anything from a £1000 upwards here needs to have 3 quotes. Makes it hard to "shop around" especially if you can get a project done from multiple suppliers, paperwork is just too much it's rediculous.

 

In future I will just be getting everything from one supplier i think. Might be easier but is probably more expensive (but that's what this cash-strapped government wants, eh?)

[Oops_my_bad]

oh yeh - avoid probrand/itindex like the plague.

[Elky]

But then where would that leave us ay Teddy?

[Oops_my_bad]

Reading back on this thread again, im sure whoever the organisation is who does the accreditation for catalyst would be interested in hearing about probrands refusal to do returns...

[Oops_my_bad]

Also interesting to note that after speaking to a collegue who works in another school who knows about this sort of stuff, he told me Catalist suppliers shouldn't be charging delivery (or at least, the delivery charge should be absorbed into the pricing?) :?

 

If that's so then how do probrand/itindex get away with charging eye-watering carriage fees

 

i don't have an axe to grind with them but i must say this isn't the first time alarm bells have rung with this company... :?