How we buy

The University makes use of Preferred Supplier lists and closed tenders, with categories of Preferred Suppliers being reviewed on a periodic basis.

For all purchases over £125,000 (excl. VAT), a full tender process will be carried out by the University Purchasing Department. This process will be managed through Intend, a secure online system designed to document and manage the whole life cycle of a tender.

For purchases between £2,500 and £125,000 (excl. VAT), departments are able to lead run their own competitive processes. In these situations the process will not generally be managed through Intend.

For more details on steps in the tender process, please refer to the section on what to expect when tendering with the University of Oxford.