Purchasing goods and services: a reminder of good practice
06 Oct 2022
The process you must follow when placing orders and raising requisitions
All requisitions and orders must follow the correct process, and all purchases of goods and services must follow our Financial Regulations and Procedures.
Anyone raising a requisition, or placing an order, on behalf of our University must:
- observe the highest standards of probity and fairness,
- follow good practice,
- demonstrate that outcomes represent value for money.
Where practicable orders should be placed with our contracted suppliers.
You must not place any order ahead of raising a requisition through the Oracle Financials system.
Purchasing thresholds
- If the expected cost of purchasing goods or services is less than £5,000, approval is via your budget holder.
- Where purchases are expected to be above £5,000, at least three competitive quotes should be obtained and copies attached to any requisition for audit purposes.
- Purchases over £25,000 may need to undertake a formal Request for Quote (RFQ) or tender.
- Certain purchases of £10,000 and over may also need to follow capital approval process. Depending on the purchase amount, approval will be via your local High Value Approval or Head of Procurement.
- Any purchase expected to cost in excess of £100,000 must be discussed in advance of any requisition or order being raised with the Central Procurement Office.
You can find more detailed information on purchasing thresholds on the Central Procurement Office buyers page.
Key purchasing considerations
Whatever you are buying, there will be several considerations you need to make – such as, can it be sourced internally? You should consider sustainability and environmental issues. We can provide guidance on responsible procurement.
Need help or advice?
- If you are unsure about any part of the purchasing process, or need advice, please contact the Central Procurement Office.