Contracted suppliers have agreed contract terms with the University, but do not meet the criteria for preferred supplier status. This may mean the Purchasing Department is not able to assure that the supplier offers value for money, contract terms may not be optimal or the University spend may be too low to warrant management by the Purchasing Department.
Departments are advised to use preferred suppliers where possible, but may choose to give preference to contracted suppliers (over other suppliers) where preferred suppliers do not meet their needs on the basis that contract terms are already in place (and therefore trading risk is reduced).
A full list of contracted suppliers is available in the side menu to the right.
Important points to note when using contracted suppliers:
- Contracted suppliers do not qualify for the exemption from competition under £25,000 (excl. VAT) as preferred suppliers do – a price confirmation is required for purchases less than £2,500 and two or more written quotations are required for purchases between £2,500 and £25,000
- The Purchasing Department does not manage contracted suppliers and therefore no central checks (e.g. financial stability, accreditations) are undertaken. It is recommended that as a minimum you complete the checks set out in the Supplier Suitability Checklist to confirm the supplier is suitable to undertake the work and conduct business with the University
- Some contracted suppliers are managed by sector-wide purchasing consortia, if this is the case these suppliers are flagged (this provides a higher level of comfort that they are suitable, provide value for money etc.)
