Contracting Status

The University is not a Contracting Authority for the purposes of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended) and its procurement activities are not subject to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or the obligations under the European Public Procurement Directives, including the European Remedies Directive.

Value for Money

The University is required to achieve and demonstrate value for money in its procurement activities and to maintain robust, effective and auditable procurement processes.

In undertaking procurement activities, the Procurement Office will consider not only cost but also where appropriate, factors including; quality, delivery requirements, aftersales support, service level commitment and others as necessary. Additionally, due diligence may be conducted on potential suppliers. This may include where appropriate; financial capacity and insurance cover, references, environmental and sustainability considerations, regulatory compliance (e.g. Bribery Act, GDPR, H&S), commitment to our Supply Chain Requirements in respect of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking and also Equality and Diversity.

Approved Suppliers

Approved suppliers cover a wide range of goods, services and works and have been nominated through a formal competitive process conducted either by Warwick’s Procurement Office or by another with which the University has an association e.g. Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium

Where appropriate, competitive tenders may be advertised on the University’s eTendering site InTendLink opens in a new window and/or the Government’s national tender advertising site Contracts Finder. The University may also on occasion advertise contracts in the Official Journal of the European Union if appropriate. Open advertisement is at the sole discretion of the University and is undertaken on a voluntary basis with no implied obligation to comply with the procurement legislation.

If you are interested in becoming an approved supplier to the University of Warwick you may wish to regularly keep abreast of potential contract opportunities via these sites.

Terms and Conditions

The University of Warwick Standard Terms and conditions can be found here.

“No PO, No Pay” policy

Suppliers are advised that the University operates a “no PO, no pay” policy. Suppliers should not commence performance of services and/or supply of goods and/or undertaking of any works, unless in receipt of an official University of Warwick Purchase Order. The University reserves the right to withhold payment of any invoice in the event that an official University of Warwick Purchase Order has not been issued in advance. The University will not be liable for any charges not detailed within the Purchase Order.

Responsible Procurement

The University will be developing its Responsible Procurement strategy more fully over the coming months.

As standard, our Supply Chain Requirements in respect of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking and Equality and Diversity are set out within our General Terms and Conditions of Purchase.

Social Inclusion

Please see the following Guide for Suppliers and Contractors Link opens in a new windowin respect of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion expectations.

Notices to Suppliers

Prevention of Fraud

The University undertakes thorough and extensive checks to validate suppliers’ details. Therefore the University requires a minimum of 4 weeks advance notice of amendments to bank details or payment profiles.

Changes to banking arrangements and contact details notified to the University by its suppliers will be treated as a variation to contract.

Unless and until such amendments requested by the suppliers are properly validated and processed there may be a delay in payment.

Whistleblowing

The University is committed to honesty, integrity, openness and accountability and we expect our community to maintain high standards. However, all organisations face the risk of things going wrong or of unknowingly harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. A culture of openness and accountability is essential to prevent such situations occurring or addressing them when they do occur.

The University’s Whistleblowing Policy permits staff, students and anyone contractually connected to the University to report concerns about wrongdoing as soon as possible.

Further information on the University’s Whistleblowing Policy can be found here: Whistleblowing (warwick.ac.uk)

All queries related to whistleblowing should be directed to: whistleblowing@warwick.ac.uk

Advice to potential suppliers to the University of Warwick

Fraudulent attempts are being made to impersonate universities with the intention of obtaining goods from suppliers. All purchasing related communications from the University of Warwick will originate from the warwick.ac.uk domain name only (please check domain details very carefully as fraudsters are using versions that may look very similar to our own) and should be accompanied by an official University Purchase Order. Any deliveries which are not to a University of Warwick campus location should be queried. If in doubt please contact our resource account before despatching any goods.