As both a charity and a public body, the University is strictly governed by internal Financial Regulations directed at ensuring a fair and transparent process is followed to obtain maximum value for money on all purchases. When engaging suppliers, we utilise a number of routes to market including collaborative framework agreements from the Southern Universities Procurement Consortium (SUPC) and other consortia as well as awarding our own contracts through competitive tender and quotation activity.
The procurement activities we have to undertake, when purchasing goods and services, are laid out according to the potential value of spend:
| Contract value | Procurement procedure |
|---|---|
| £0 - £10,000 (contract value exc VAT) |
Single informal quote |
|
£10,001 - £25,000 |
Minimum of two (2) written informal quotes |
|
£25,001 - £100,000 |
Formal Competitive Quotation |
|
>£100,001 |
Competitive tender in conjunction with Procurement team |
The University currently utilises In-Tend to advertise and manage tender activity.
From this web site you can:
Further details on how to use the system and manage you account are available on the In-Tend site itself
Any supplier may download tender documents for University tenders which are advertised via the In-Tend system and submit a tender return. High level details of the tender requirement and instructions for obtaining further information and tender documents are detailed in the tender advertisement. Full details are contained in the tender documents.
Where appropriate, and at the University’s sole discretion, competitive tenders may be advertised on the University’s e-tendering portal In-Tend and/or the Government’s national tender advertising sites Contracts Finder and/or Find a Tender. Open advertisement is at the sole discretion of the University and is undertaken on a voluntary basis with no implied obligation to comply with procurement legislation.
The University also buys off framework agreements put in place and managed by the Southern Universities Procurement Consortium. (SUPC).
Full details on how to become an SUPC supplier can be found on the SUPC website .
The University maintains separate lists of suppliers in these areas. To find out more about how to engage with us in these sectors, select the link below:
Estates and Facilities - information for contractors
We engage suppliers using University of Southampton terms and conditions, the standard terms and conditions of purchase are available to view here .
Where alternative terms and conditions are required due to the specialist nature of a requirements (for example the supply of services, or works) the terms and conditions are contained as part of the Invitation to Tender procurement documentation.
All suppliers must have appropriate contractor insurance, required levels and details will be specified within the procurement documentation.
Suppliers are expected to comply with any procedures, policies or regulations of the University that are relevant to the work they are doing with us. The University is committed to complying with laws and regulations in the pursuit of excellence in the way that it procures goods and services. These activities will be carried out in a manner that follows University policies and procedures and achieves value for money wherever possible. In delivering these commitments, we must ensure adherence to the highest standards of ethical and professional behaviour, which we expect our suppliers to also observe when delivering goods and services to the University. Suppliers are required to adhere to University policies applicable to staff and relevant to the requirement.
Further information on The University's regulations and policies can be found on our Governance pages .
For more general information about being a supplier to the University of Southampton visit our General supplier information page