Procurement Update

Purchasing Update 26th October 2020

Updated Terms and Conditions

The University has updated the Terms & Conditions for Goods and Services, and Consultancy Services. The new terms take effect immediately and include clarifications around Force Majeure clauses.

Updated Single Supplier Waiver Form
The Single Source Waiver Request (SSW) form has been updated. The default validity period is for a maximum of twelve months. If there is a need for any SSW to be longer than this, for example a contractual agreement through an existing framework where there is only one supplier available, then this will need to be indicated on the form with links to the relevant framework.

A Single Supplier Waiver will not be required for a number of categories of spend where financial transactions occur but where this transaction is excluded from the standard Procurement processes. These include:

  • Statutory payments such as memberships of OFS, various professional bodies, and similar; membership of these is a mandatory condition of trade and the costs are set centrally and cannot be influenced.
  • Payments to research partners and collaborators, or instances where the University acts as lead partner
  • Payments to or on behalf of Public Bodies – non-procurement related payments only
  • Payments to individuals (e.g. scholarships, bursaries, salaries, prizes, awards)
  • Rates (e.g. Council tax), leases, rents and other similar payments

Payment In Advance
Some of our suppliers are requesting that the University pay for goods, works or services before it is delivered, and / or at the time of order. The University policy is not to pay in advance for any work and only the Procurement Team can approve advance payments. Advance payments or payments at time of order must not be agreed ; and will only normally be approved by Procurement in exceptional circumstances (for example when the items are made to order or bespoke, and where the investment costs by the supplier are considerable, with a long period between order and payment).

Travel Restrictions 
Please note that the travel restrictions put in place by the University have not been relaxed. You should not be travelling overseas unless absolutely necessary. If you wish to travel overseas, you should complete both a Travel Exceptions Form and a Risk Assessment that are each authorised by the correct person. You should not be booking travel outside of Key Travel, and not be travelling overseas without a signed and authorised Travel Exceptions Form and a Risk Assessment.

Use of Dropbox and Zoom 
There are a number of Dropbox and Zoom subscriptions currently held by the University. Should you wish to continue with these, or purchase subscriptions in future, please confirm with IS that these meet our relevant policies.