This guide aims to help potential suppliers understand how we do business and what procedures we will follow when procuring goods and services.

There are four main categories of expenditure:

• Scientific goods and services
• Information Technology (IT) goods and services
• Soft and Hard Facilities Management (FM) and Construction
• Corporate support services such as marketing, staffing and travel

The university generates purchase requisitions through King's Finance (KFin). 

We operate a 'no purchase order, no pay' policy.

For more information (internal access only), please refer to the relevant webpages.

King’s College London is not a public body within the meaning of the public procurement legislation.

Where the university decides to advertise in Contracts Finder, Find a Tender or other government portal it does so on a voluntary basis and does not undertake any obligation to comply with procurement legislation.

The university reserves the right in full to adapt or step outside of the procedures in procurement legislation as it considers necessary.

The procedure the university commits to following for any individual procurement will be explained in the relevant tender documentation.

However, King's is committed to ensuring that all suppliers are treated fairly and without discrimination by acting in a transparent and proportionate manner and has established the procedures set out below.

The procedures that we follow are dependant on the indicative value of the contract and the source of the funding. Generally, the threshold values and associated procedures are detailed below.

• Between £5,000 and £25,000, written quotations must be obtained from a minimum of 2 competent suppliers. The quotations and a short, written justification of the supplier choice must be maintained on file.
• Between £25,000 and £100,000, written quotations must be obtained from a mimimum of 3 competent suppliers. The quotations and a short, written justification of the supplier choice must be maintained on file.
• For contracts with an indicative contract value over £100,000, a formal tendering procedure will be carried out.

Contracts that are subject to a formal tendering process are advertised in a variety of ways, trade journals, trade organisations and the King's e-tendering portal.

In order to express an interest in any university contracts or to find out about future opportunities, you should register on the King's e-tendering portal.

The procedure followed for any individual procurement will be fully explained in the relevant tender documentation.

The University's Form of Contract for the Purchase of Goods and/or Services is applied to the majority of the University purchases as a default governing agreement unless stated and/or advised otherwise.

The University can also utilise a Consultancy-specific Form of Contract where its applicability shall be advised at the point of requirement.