The University of Bristol’s Procurement team is a professionally qualified and experienced team that work to ensure the University obtains value for money in all the goods and services it purchases, in line with the University’s Financial Regulations. The Finance Regulations, and procurement-policy-v5 (PDF, 522kB), state that for any purchasing activity over £25,000 (aggregated over 4 years) Procurement need to be involved.

The Procurement team works with colleagues and suppliers alike to drive value and reduce risk across supply chains that serve the University.  

The Procurement team provides a category management approach to the University’s procurement cycle.  This includes:

• Providing University staff with advice and guidance prior to making purchases or obtaining quotes
• Issuing and managing tenders for the supply of goods or services
• Consideration of sustainable and ethical issues in the provision of goods and services
  • Procurement has earned the CIPS Ethical mark and appears on its Ethical Register.
• Protecting the University from financial and reputational risk through appropriate contractual short form terms and conditions v8 (PDF, 253kB)
• Awarding contracts to suppliers using those terms and conditions
• Managing supplier contracts to deliver the contractual commitments, as well as innovation, value and good sustainable practices
• Promoting and monitoring supplier usage and making sure staff have the knowledge they need to make the best use of the Universty's suppliers
• Staying up-to-date with market knowledge
• Collaboration with external partners and institutions
  • We are active members of (amongst others) the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium and the Higher Education Procurement Association
• Helping to protect the University from procurement fraud
• Managing the University's Corporate Credit Cards

The Procurement team is responsible for the University’s Procurement Policy and Procedures which ensures the University is fair, open, transparent and prevents discriminatory treatment towards all suppliers, no matter whether local or global, SME or multi-national.