Contracts Management
Please click here to view Aston's Contracts Register for upcoming opportunities.
Accessing tender opportunities
The key objective of the tendering process is to ensure that the most suitable supplier is selected to provide goods/services/works on terms that offer the best value for money. This includes where a supplier is technically and commercially capable, is financially sound, is keen to obtain a contract on the best value for money terms, and will execute the contract efficiently.
Tender opportunities for Aston University are advertised on our e-tendering system, ProContract. To take part in tenders or requests for quotations, companies must register on the portal. Registration is free.
Once registered you will be able to access all available tenders. If you see a tender that interests you, you must access that tender and confirm interest. This will allow you to download the documentation you need. You complete the documentation and upload your response to the system, then submit it.
• View a list of tenders/contracts/quotations.
• View information on contracts that have already been awarded.
• Express interest in a particular tender or quotation.
• Receive tender and/or quotation documentation.
• Safely return your tender or quotation documents.
• Send and receive correspondence.
It is advised that suppliers register with a generic group email rather than individual email addresses.
Framework agreements
The University uses several framework agreements from organisations such as:
• SUPC and other Higher Education Consortia (listed on HE Contracts)
• TUCO
• Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO)
• Crown Commercial Service
Framework agreements are arrangements that have undergone a full tender process from which eligible users can either directly purchase or call-off goods, services and the like. If you are interested in tendering for framework agreements not run by the University, you can contact the category managers through the above links.
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 Team will consider not only cost but also appropriate, factors including quality, delivery requirements, after-sales support, service level commitment, and others as necessary. Additionally, due diligence may be conducted on potential suppliers. This may include 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.
Contract Management
Aston considers that contract management is key to a successful business relationship. If your organisation is awarded a contract or framework agreement, we expect you to manage your part of the agreement and work with us to improve the contract over its lifetime; this includes regular review meetings to discuss, among other things, performance against the agreed SLA and KPI targets.
Resources and Useful Links
- ProContract - Electronic tendering system for Aston University Tenders
- Gov.uk - Guidance for SMEs/BMEs on how to compete in the public sector
- Contracts Finder - Tenders and requests for quotes between £50k and PCR threshold are advertised here
FTS
- The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO) - Please follow the link for further information on becoming a University Catering Framework Supplier
- Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) - Please follow the link for further information on becoming a Consortium Framework Supplier
- No Order, No Pay - Please follow the link for further information on the finance ordering policy
- Aston's T&C's - Information on Aston's Terms and Conditions
Working with Aston
When engaging suppliers, we utilise several routes to market including collaborative framework agreements via the Southern Universities Procurement Consortium (SUPC) and other public sector consortia Aston awards our own contracts through competitive tender and quotation activity. If you are interested in becoming a Supplier, you can find more information below.
Approved Suppliers
Where appropriate, the University’s current quotation and tendering thresholds can be found here.
If there is already an existing contract in place, the University will not be looking to add additional suppliers and will not keep information on file from prospective suppliers.
How to become a Supplier to the University?
If you are interested in becoming a contracted supplier to the University, you may wish to regularly keep updated on potential contract opportunities via the following sites:
- Find opportunities in FTS (Find a Tender Service) [add link] or Contracts Finder [add link] and follow the instructions.
- Find opportunities (generally over £50,000) on ProContract (the University's e-tendering portal) and follow the instructions. To keep up to date with our opportunities, you must first register on ProContract, and choose the best business categories that fit your area of interest. The portal will automatically notify you when tender opportunities have been published that match your business categories.
For low-value construction work, we use suppliers registered on Constructionline.