Street furniture for public authorities: procurement for towns, councils and municipalities

Buying for a town, a council or a municipal works depot is not the same as buying for a household. The product matters, but so does the paperwork around it. Is there a written quotation that stands up in a procurement file? Can the goods be supplied on invoice, because no treasury department wants a card payment for a fountain? Will the invoice reach the right inbox in the right format? This page answers those questions. It is the procurement page for the street furniture range at Barockgrosshandel, written for everyone who buys on behalf of a public body.

Barockgrosshandel is operated by Demotex GmbH in Essen, Germany, and supplies benches, fountains, lanterns, planters, sculptures and pavilions to clients across Europe. A large share of our business is international, so the different payment routes used by public authorities are familiar territory: purchase on invoice in Germany and Austria, paiement par mandat administratif through Chorus Pro in France, the electronic invoice through the Sistema di Interscambio in Italy and through FACe in Spain, and the Peppol network in the Benelux countries.

In short: you order against a purchase order from your authority, we deliver, and you pay after the invoice arrives. Public bodies do not need to pay in advance.

Who buys from us

The person placing the order rarely sits in the same department twice. In one town the works depot buys directly, in the next it is the parks department, the highways department or a central procurement unit. We work with both routes and supply regularly to:

• Towns, cities, municipalities and parish councils
• Municipal works depots, parks and gardens departments and highways departments
• Spa administrations, tourism boards and resort operators
• Cemetery administrations and church authorities
• Municipal utilities, special purpose associations and council owned companies
• Housing associations under public ownership
• Landscape architects, urban planning practices and landscaping contractors working on a public contract
• Schools, universities, hospitals and care homes in public ownership

The most common case is not a large tender. It is a manageable requirement: one bench on a footpath that has to be replaced, six identical benches for a redesigned market square, a fountain to mark a town anniversary, planters to structure a pedestrian zone. Our process is built for exactly that.

Purchase on invoice: how payment works

Public authorities pay after delivery, not before. We therefore supply public bodies on invoice. All we need is an order placed on your authority purchase order form or from your ordering system, issued by someone authorised to commit the budget. We do not ask public bodies for prepayment or a credit check.

Our standard payment term is 30 days net from the invoice date. To make sure the invoice passes your checks without a query, we need two details when the order is placed: your purchase order number and, where your authority invoices electronically, the reference your platform requires. In Germany this is the Leitweg-ID, and without it the receiving platform rejects the invoice and the case sits idle for weeks. It is worth stating both in your enquiry.

We agree the format and the route of the invoice with you when we confirm the order. Simply tell us what your authority requires: an electronic invoice through a receiving platform, delivery to a central accounts payable address, or another route that is standard in your organisation.

For your supplier records: Demotex GmbH, Hammer Str. 64, 45239 Essen, Germany. Commercial register Amtsgericht Essen HRB 24428, VAT identification number DE279640593. Bank details and a commercial register extract are available on request.

France: payment by mandat administratif through Chorus Pro

France runs public payments through a procedure of its own, and many suppliers outside France neither know it nor offer it. We do. It is called paiement par mandat administratif. The mairie, the communauté de communes, the département, the hospital or the school orders with a bon de commande. We deliver and issue the invoice. The invoice is not posted, it is filed electronically on the state platform Chorus Pro. The ordonnateur checks it, confirms the amount and issues the mandat de paiement to the comptable public, who makes the transfer.

For your administration this means no card payment, no prepayment and no special authorisation. The transaction follows the route your accounts department already uses. So that the invoice can be matched on Chorus Pro we need your SIRET number, the code service and the number of the bon de commande. The standard payment period for local authorities is 30 days.

Italy, Spain and other countries

In Italy, Comuni and other public bodies settle through the fattura elettronica, which passes through the Sistema di Interscambio. We need your codice univoco ufficio from the IPA directory and, where the contract requires them, the CIG and CUP references. Please supply these with the order, because they cannot be added later without reissuing the invoice.

In Spain, Ayuntamientos and other public administrations receive invoices in the Facturae format through the FACe platform. This requires the three DIR3 codes of your office: oficina contable, órgano gestor and unidad tramitadora, together with the expediente number.

In Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, invoices to public authorities are largely exchanged over the Peppol network. In Austria and Switzerland we also supply public bodies on invoice. Wherever you are, tell us at the order stage which route your administration prescribes and we will follow it.

One practical note for buyers outside the European Union, including the United Kingdom: we ship from Germany, so the delivery involves customs clearance, import duty and import VAT in your country. We set out clearly in the quotation which costs are included and which are not, so that nothing unexpected reaches your finance department.

VAT on orders from other EU countries

We supply from Germany. Whether your invoice carries German VAT, the VAT of your own country, or no VAT at all depends on whether your organisation uses a valid VAT identification number and gives it to us. Many public bodies hold one but do not use it for purchases made in their sovereign capacity. Either is fine for us. What matters is that the position is settled before the invoice is issued, because a later correction means a credit note and a reissued invoice, and that delays your payment. If in doubt, ask your finance department and pass the answer to us with the order.

From first enquiry to delivery: six steps

The route is deliberately short, because nobody in a works depot has time to turn an order into a project.

• 1. Enquiry. Tell us the item or the requirement, the quantity, the delivery address and your preferred date. If you do not yet know which model fits, a description of the location is enough.
• 2. Quotation. You receive a written quotation with line items, unit prices, net total, VAT, freight cost and lead time, plus a description of the goods with dimensions and materials.
• 3. Order. You order on your authority purchase order form, quoting the order number and the references your country requires.
• 4. Order confirmation. We confirm in writing with a binding delivery date.
• 5. Delivery. Freight delivery by appointment with your works depot or your site.
• 6. Invoice and payment. The invoice goes out by the route you require, and payment follows within the agreed term.

Quotation and specification for your procurement file

A price alone is not enough for the file. Every quotation therefore comes with a specification containing what your checks will expect: description, length, width and height, seat height, material and finish, weight, scope of supply and lead time. If your rules require you to obtain several quotations above a certain value, ours is structured so that it can be compared with others side by side.

One point we state openly: the thresholds for direct awards are set by your own organisation and differ widely between countries, regions and individual authorities. Your own procurement rules say which threshold applies to you. We do not advise on that, because we are not entitled to and because wrong advice would be expensive for you. What we supply is the part you need for your decision: a quotation that can be examined.

We also do not claim standards, test certificates or approvals that we cannot evidence. If your tender requires a specific certificate, please ask for it explicitly. We will tell you honestly whether we can provide it.

What you can source from us

Our range for public spaces covers the equipment that is actually needed on squares, in parks, in pedestrian zones, in cemeteries and in spa gardens. Everything is available as a series, so a single replacement bench is as feasible as the complete furnishing of an entire site:

• Benches and art nouveau park benches, straight, semi circular and circular tree benches
• Fountains and water columns for town squares, from wall fountains to large installations
• Garden and path lighting and outdoor lighting in historic styles, up to tall mast lanterns
• Planters and flower pots in large formats for square design and traffic calming
• Nostalgia bicycle stands for town halls, stations and school yards
• Sculptures and figures and statues for parks, roundabouts and prominent locations
• Columns and pedestals for monuments, memorials and public art
• Pavilions and garden houses for spa parks, bandstands and event grounds
• Bird baths and other park details
• Garden furniture for the grounds of public buildings, schools and clinics

An overview of the complete range for public spaces, sorted by location and material, is available under street furniture for towns and councils.

Delivery: appointment, freight and what arrives where

Street furniture is heavy goods. Concrete benches with timber slats, stone fountain installations and tall mast lanterns travel as freight, not as parcels. We arrange a delivery appointment with your works depot or directly with the site, so that someone is present and suitable equipment is available for unloading.

Please allow for what the quoted price covers: delivery is made to the kerbside. The goods are handed over at the access point or the kerb of the delivery address. Transport onto the site, moving the goods to the installation point, foundation work, anchoring and assembly are not part of the delivery. This is not a formality. It is the point at which public purchases most often come unstuck, because a crane or a machine was needed and nobody had budgeted for it.

When ordering, please give us a contact name and telephone number for the delivery notification and, if relevant, any access restrictions: bollards, pedestrian zones with delivery windows, height limits or a parking suspension that has to be applied for. A second delivery attempt costs as much as the first, and in a municipal budget it is particularly awkward to explain.

Series, repeat orders and replacements

A town rarely buys street furniture only once. A square is rebuilt in phases, a bench is damaged, a new location is added. The series availability of our range is therefore the real advantage for a public buyer: you can order again in two years without your ensemble becoming inconsistent. If you are planning in phases, tell us with the first order. We note the items against your account and let you know in good time if a model is being discontinued.

For larger quantities, ask us for a quotation covering the full volume. Several identical items usually attract a better freight rate, because one full load is cheaper to move than five separate consignments spread over a year.

Enquiries and contact

Send us your requirement, informally is fine. It helps to include the item or a description of the location, the quantity, the delivery address with postcode, your preferred date, and whether you need a quotation for the file or an order confirmation straight away. If it is already clear that you will order on invoice, please give us the purchase order number, the reference required in your country and the invoice address at the same time.

You can reach us through our contact form, by email at info@barockgrosshandel.de and by telephone on 0049 201 36577485. Enquiries from France, Italy and Spain are answered in the respective language.

Matching pieces from our range

Frequently asked questions about public sector procurement

Do you supply public authorities on invoice?
Yes. Public bodies order from us on invoice, with a payment term of 30 days net. All we need is an order on your authority purchase order form or from your ordering system. We do not ask public bodies for prepayment.

What is a mandat administratif and do you accept it?
Paiement par mandat administratif is the payment procedure used by French public bodies. The administration orders with a bon de commande, the supplier files the invoice electronically on Chorus Pro, the ordonnateur confirms the amount and issues the mandat de paiement, and the comptable public makes the transfer. Yes, we supply France this way. We need the SIRET, the code service and the bon de commande number.

Our invoices must carry a specific reference. Is that possible?
Yes. Give us the reference with the order, whether that is a German Leitweg-ID, an Italian codice univoco ufficio or Spanish DIR3 codes, and it will appear on the invoice. Without it the receiving platform rejects the document. We agree the transmission route with you when confirming the order.

Do we get a written quotation for our procurement file?
Yes, with every enquiry. The quotation contains line items, net unit and total prices, VAT, freight, lead time and a specification with dimensions, material, finish and weight. It is set out so that it can be compared with quotations from other suppliers.

Up to what value may we order directly from you?
That is not for us to say. Thresholds for direct awards are set in the procurement rules of your own organisation and vary considerably between countries and authorities. Please check internally. We supply the examinable quotation you need alongside that decision.

Can we order several identical benches and reorder later?
Yes, that is the normal case. Our range is a series range, not one off pieces. Tell us with the first order that further phases will follow. We note the items against your account and contact you if a model is being discontinued.

How is delivery handled and who unloads?
Heavy goods travel by freight forwarder, by appointment. Delivery is made to the kerbside, that is to the access point or the kerb of the delivery address. Suitable equipment and personnel must be available on site for unloading. Transport onto the site, foundations, anchoring and assembly are not included.

Will you invoice without VAT if we order from another EU country?
That depends on whether your organisation uses a valid VAT identification number and gives it to us before the invoice is issued. Many public bodies hold one but do not use it for purchases in their sovereign capacity. Please clarify with your finance department and tell us with the order, because a later correction means a credit note and a reissued invoice.

Do you supply samples or attend site meetings?
Samples of individual items such as benches and planters can be arranged by agreement. For large installations such as fountains this is not practical. You are welcome to view our range at our showroom in Essen. For selection we also send detailed photographs and full dimensions.

How long does delivery take?
It depends on the item. Stock items leave us at short notice. For larger series or special finishes we state a binding lead time in the quotation. If you have a fixed date, an opening ceremony, a town festival or the end of a construction phase, put it in the enquiry. We will tell you before you order whether it can be met.

Barockgrosshandel as a supplier to the public sector

Barockgrosshandel is the wholesale shop of Demotex GmbH in Essen, Germany. We supply resellers, contract furnishers, hotels, architectural practices and public authorities across Europe, with a range that reaches from a single park bench to the complete furnishing of a spa park. For towns and councils, the decisive point is that we handle both sides: the goods and the route they travel. A fountain for a market square is not an ordinary purchase, and an invoice that the accounts department cannot process helps nobody.

If you buy for a public authority, the full range is at www.barockgrosshandel.de/en. Send us your requirement and you will receive a quotation that completes your file.