Procurement
Our procurement team work on a wide variety of procurement requirements for goods, services and works.
One of our key priorities is to ensure we maximise the use of local suppliers. However, we also need to ensure value for money and meet our legal obligations. We also network with other local organisations to share good practices and resources to achieve this aim.
What do we purchase?
We purchase a wide range of goods, services and works from external suppliers including:
- Printing and publicity materials
- Stationery, office equipment and consumables
- Heating spares and general building materials
- Health and safety supplies
- IT hardware and software
- Grounds maintenance
- Insurance
- Payment card services
- Security
- Waste management
- Cleaning
- Financial services
- Consultancy
- Asbestos surveys and removal
- Demolition
- Development work
- Capital investment in tenants’ homes
Procurement processes
It’s important that we can demonstrate transparency and accountability in the award of our contracts. As a result, we tend to follow structures procurement processes which are proportionate to the value of the expenditure. The larger the contract, the more formal and rigorous the procurement process will be.
For larger contracts, you may be asked to provide information that demonstrates your capacity and competence in the following areas:
- Financial standing
- Insurance cover
- Health and safety
- Equality and diversity
- Expertise and references
- Customer care
- Prevention of corruption
- Quality systems
- Managerial and technical ability
When making procurement decisions we try to involve our customers in decisions which impact on them.
Procurement Standing Orders
Procurement Standing Orders
Our procurement procedures are governed by our Procurement Standing Orders – these are internal rules which determine the level of competition required for a particular value of contract. The rules are minimum requirements and we are required to go beyond these minimums if necessary to ensure value for money. We often openly advertise contracts and requirements of lower values, for example under £10,000 on our etender system.
| Total Purchase Value | Process Required |
|---|---|
| £25,001 to £75,000 | Request for quotation openly advertised. Minimum three quotations required. |
| £75,001 to £181,301 | Invitation to tender openly advertised. Minimum three to five tenders required. |
| Above £181,302 | Invitation to tender as required by Procurement Regulations |
Public Contract Regulations
Due to the way we are funded and regulated we are subject to both the UK Public Contracts Regulations 2015. We are legally obliged to advertise our largest contracts as follows:
For contracts over £25,000:
UK Contracts Finder(Government tender portal)
For larger contracts over relevant thresholds:
The current threshold for supplies and service contracts is £189,330 and for works is £4,733,252. Some limited exemptions may apply.
How to access our contract opportunities
If you are interested in working with us, please register and look for Opportunities here
Consortia/framework agreements
Where it is appropriate to do so, we make use of framework agreements which have already been subjected to competition by a procurement consortium.
A framework agreement is a general term for a formal agreement or arrangement between suppliers and organisations subject to the Public Contracts Regulations (such as LHP).
Such agreements have already been through a tender process and set out the terms and conditions against which purchases can be made in the future