Charity number SC004401
Guidance for procurements less than £25,000
Prepare a Brief
Identify Suppliers
Prepare Quotation Documents
Receive & Evaluate Responses
Notify Suppliers of Outcome
Retention of Documentation
Contract Management
Overview
This guidance is for individuals procuring non-framework goods and services with a total value less than
£25,000. Individuals must ensure no local contracts or collaborative contracts held on GeM exist prior to initiating
a procurement process. Please visit http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/procurementoffice/ for links.
Value of Purchase*
£0 to £999
£1,000 to £2,999
£3,000 to £4,999
£5,000 to £24,999
£25,000 +
Requirement
1 verbal quotation
1 written quotation
2 written quotations
3 written quotations
Contact Procurement Office
* Total Value of Purchase; if a regular purchase, calculate the total value of spend, excluding VAT, over a 4 year
period.
This guide will:
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Provide a set of guides and templates for conducting a procurement exercise valued under £25,00
Standardise the University of Glasgow’s procurement process for lower value procurements
Highlight the auditable obligations of conducting a procurement for lower value procurements
All procurement activity must be completed in line with our Code of Conduct Guidance where the term “tender
evaluation team members” relate to the individual(s) requesting the written quotations. If a conflict of interest is
identified, please contact the Head of Procurement immediately who can advise on how to proceed.
Reference: PR20-001-E
Released: 10/06/2013
Owner: Procurement Office
Guidance on Preparing a Brief Document
The template below provides a suggested format. As a minimum, identify the key requirements considering how
the responses will be objectively evaluated and include estimated timescales for the requirement. Also consider
how to manage the requirement in terms of Quality, Service, Cost and Delivery.
In exceptional circumstances presentations or site visits may be required and if applicable, this should be
detailed also. Records of the interviews/presentations should be kept by Departments for audit purposes.
Objectives
The main type, aim and purpose of work with any outcomes required should be indicated here with the timescale
you want for the return of the quotations. Include instructions for return of quotations; detail how the suppliers
should structure their responses. Where relevant, the invitation may include both the Selection Criteria and
Award Criteria (see below). You may wish to specify anticipated outcomes of what you expect to be able to do as
a result of this contract.
Costs
Rates and prices should be requested, excluding VAT and inclusive of all additional expenses and carriage.
Additional information
 For example this may be:
 The University of Glasgow’s key contact details;
 Intellectual property rights which you wish to be retained by the University
 Any sustainability issues that could impact on the contract i.e. recycled paper for reports;
 Any health & safety issues that may impact on the contract.
………………………………………………………………………………
Selection Criteria
To assess the suppliers on their capability before getting into the quote evaluation. Criteria may be:
 they must hold a particular qualification or supply to a particular standard
 Previous relevant experience
 Equal Opportunities
 Health and Safety
 Sustainability considerations as applicable
……………………………………………………………………………….
Award Criteria
Where the award is not only price dependent, use an award criteria to assess the supplier on their ability to
provide the goods/service. These should be weighted and quote responses scored against the criteria and
weights.
Examples of award criteria are:
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Price
Quality
Delivery Lead Time
Warranty
Any individuals requiring support with award criteria or the subsequent evaluation, please contact the Procurement
Office for support.
Reference: PR20-001-E
Released: 10/06/2013
Owner: Procurement Office
Identify Suppliers
You should seek written quotations from a minimum of three suppliers for buys of £5k to £25k who have the
experience and expertise to meet your requirements for the goods or services. In order to receive three quotes
back from suppliers you may wish to approach four or five suppliers in the event that some do not respond.
Suppliers may be identified by a number of methods including internet searches, trade publications, previous
experience and phone directories.
You should endeavour not to restrict your selection to ONLY existing suppliers. This will help suppliers who have
not previously bid for public sector work gain access to opportunities and gain experience working for the public
sector. This will also facilitate competition, encourage innovation and ensure best value in future service delivery.
If only one supplier can undertake the work required you should seek approval for a Purchasing Policy Exception
from the Procurement Office. For commercial reasons you should not inform the supplier that they are the only
supplier involved in the process.
Prepare Quotation Documents
If required, prepare a short specification with selection and evaluation criteria using information from your brief
document. All brand names must be followed by “or equivalent”, and update the Quote Specification Template.
Issue the request for quote, alongside all supporting documentation, using the Invitation to Quote Template
Receive and Evaluate
All quote responses should be formally recorded within a Quotations Received Record.
For complex quotations requiring evaluation of qualitative and financial data, the Evaluation Model may be
helpful.
Notify Suppliers of Outcome
Identify the successful supplier from the Receive and Evaluate Responses process and seek any internal
departmental approvals to award the contract.
The chosen supplier should be notified of their success in writing using the Contract Award Letter where
appropriate. Simultaneously, unsuccessful suppliers should be notified using the Unsuccessful Quotation Letter.
Any purchase order released thereafter forms our commitment to the supplier.
Retention of Documentation
A record for this process should be kept for any future audit. Please ensure you are familiar with the University’s
document retention which can be found at: http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/dpfoioffice/guidanceonrecordsretention/
It should be noted that purchases of goods and services may be the subject of Freedom of Information requests.
Contract Management
The supplier's performance should be managed throughout the lifetime of the contract ensuring that the goods or
services are delivered in line with the performance or service level expectations i.e
Quality/Service/Cost/Delivery, identified in the original quotation. You should manage the contract to ensure that
any changes to the original quotation are minimised.
Variations to the brief or extensions to the period of the original quotation may result in a situation where a new
procurement process becomes necessary. Variations/Extensions are an exception and should be kept to a
minimum. They should only take place where the changes that you make would not materially alter the original
contract. Where a significant change to the contract scope, value or duration is proposed you must contact the
Procurement Office.
Reference: PR20-001-E
Released: 10/06/2013
Owner: Procurement Office