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Procurement competitions

¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ is a non-contracting authority and is therefore not subject to the procurement procedures prescribed under the Procurement Act 2023.

We are committed to conducting procurement activities in a fair, transparent, and proportionate manner, ensuring value for money, and supporting effective competition where appropriate.

Our procurement activity is governed by the University's Procurement Policy and internal procedures. Suppliers are expected to comply with all applicable legal, regulatory, and ethical requirements when working with the university.

Working with us

We encourage suppliers to engage openly with us and provide innovative, sustainable, and high-quality solutions that support the university's strategic objectives.

Information about current opportunities, supplier requirements and procurement processes will be published through the university's procurement channels where appropriate.

Responsible procurement

¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ is committed to sustainable and responsible procurement practices. We encourage suppliers to support our environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives and demonstrate high standards of ethical business conduct.

Suppliers are expected to comply with all applicable legislation, including the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and take appropriate steps to prevent modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and exploitative employment practices within their organisations and supply chains.

We value suppliers that contribute positively to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical business practices.

Financial due diligence

To help manage risk and protect the University's interests, ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ may undertake financial due diligence on suppliers prior to contract award. This may include credit and financial assessments for contracts above specified value thresholds.

Supplier registration and Central Digital Platform (CDP)

As a non-contracting authority, ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ does not require suppliers to hold a Central Digital Platform (CDP) identifier, unless explicitly requested for a specific procurement exercise, funding requirement, or regulatory obligation.

Suppliers should ensure that all information provided to the University is accurate and up to date to support efficient onboarding, contracting and payment processes.

Training and Guidance for Suppliers

Whilst ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ is not a Contracting Authority and is therefore not subject to the Procurement Act 2023, suppliers may find the following resources useful for understanding developments in public procurement and bidding for opportunities across the wider public sector.

The guidance and training materials below are provided for information only and may be particularly beneficial for suppliers who also work with public sector organisations.

Supplier resources

• Registering on the Central Digital Platform (CDP) and obtaining a Public Procurement Organisation Number (PPON).
• (GOV.UK video).
• (detailed GOV.UK video walkthrough).
• including guidance, updates and support resources for organisations bidding for public sector opportunities (Information and guidance for suppliers - GOV.UK).

General procurement training and awareness

The following resource provides a useful introduction to digital procurement systems used across the UK public sector:

• (GOV.UK video).

Alongside the other two Leicestershire universities, Leicester and Loughborough, ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ has collated the contact details of voluntary and community sector enterprises that may assist tenderers in developing their social value submissions. These details are structured against the Themes Outcomes and Measures system (TOMs)-based social value measurement framework used in our tender process and can be found on the of the Universities Partnership website.

At ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ, we are committed to ensuring that our procurement activities deliver wider benefits to society alongside value for money. While we do not currently have a formal Social Value Policy, we actively embed social value principles into our processes.

For all appropriate tendering exercises over £100,000, we use the . This platform allows us to:

• Capture and evaluate social value commitments during the tender process.
• Monitor supplier performance after contract award to ensure delivery of agreed benefits.

Why this matters

Incorporating social value into procurement helps us achieve more than just cost efficiency. It enables ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ to:

• Support local communities and create positive social impact.
• Encourage suppliers to contribute to economic growth and sustainability.
• Deliver added value that aligns with ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’s strategic objectives. By embedding social value into our procurement practices, we ensure that every pound spent works harder for the benefit of society.

Supplier – support for those tendering with ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ

Ideas of what we offer as a service:

Opportunities to work with the ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ Careers Team

At ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ, we offer a range of flexible, impactful ways for organisations to connect with our students and graduates. While we tailor our approach to meet your specific recruitment goals, there are several core opportunities available to help you engage with emerging talent and raise your organisation’s profile on campus.

Whether you are looking to promote roles, build brand awareness, or develop long-term talent pipelines, our team (employerengagement@dmu.ac.uk) can support you in reaching the right candidates in meaningful ways.

When completing your application, please consider which opportunities best align with your organisation’s objectives and the type of engagement you are hoping to achieve.

Funded Internships for your business

• The ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ Graduate Champions scheme is an opportunity for businesses to recruit graduates onto internships that are funded by the university. Each graduate is contracted and paid for by ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ to complete 18.5 hours work a week (or 111 hours in total), for six weeks, with the university paying the Minimum Wage.
• Visit the link more information or contact our Internships Team at champions@dmu.ac.uk.

Graduate jobs, Graduate schemes, part-time work and vacation opportunities

• We have a very diverse student population and offer a number of services to support you with your recruitment needs. Whether it’s wanting to advertise on our free jobs portal, having a stand on campus or attending Careers Fairs – we can help.
• Visit the link for more information or contact the Employer Engagement Team at employerengagement@dmu.ac.uk.

Placements

• Placements are part of the fabric of ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ, with students across all courses having the option of undertaking some form of work experience. We have a long history of partnering with local, national and international employers to provide students with essential work experience, in preparation for the graduate recruitment market.
• Visit the link for more information and for the contact details of our faculty-based placements teams.

Temporary staff

• Unitemps is a campus-based job agency that places students and external candidates in temporary roles, both inside the university and in the local Leicestershire area. From administration to engineering, events to translation, there is a wide variety of work available through the year.
• Visit the link for more information and for the contact details for Unitemps.

Other

• We regularly take students on insight visits to offices and workplaces
• We seek employers to run in-curriculum live briefs
• We recruit employers to run pop-ups in the Careers Hub to promote their brand and opportunities
• We work with hundreds of employers each year and can support them in a tailored way to ensure they meet their recruitment needs

Social value requirements are considered alongside financial and technical evaluation during the procurement process.

Levels of competition

Contract value band	Estimated contract value (inc. VAT)	Minimum requirement
Small contract	£0 to £29,999	Minimum of one written quotation, use of an existing framework, or evidence of market pricing.
Medium contract	£30,000 to £99,999	Wherever possible, a minimum of three written quotations, use of an existing framework, or a formal Request for Quotation (RFQ).
Large contract	£100,000.00 to £199,999.99, or £100,000.00 to £4,999,999.99 for Works/Concessions	An appropriately competitive tender process, undertaken either through the university's , an approved framework, or another suitable route to market approved by Procurement Team.
Major	£200,000.00 or more, or £5,000,000.00 or more for Works/Concessions	A formal competitive tender process managed with Procurement Team involvement throughout, undertaken through the university's , an approved framework, or another suitable route to market as determined by the University.

Additional routes to market

Alongside these levels of competition, ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ may utilise third-party contracts, purchasing consortia agreements, frameworks, dynamic purchasing systems and other compliant purchasing arrangements where relevant, appropriate, and permissible, provided these offer demonstrable value for money and meet the university's requirements.

¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ uses the In-tend Electronic Tendering system to manage all procurement competitions valued above £100,000.

Suppliers can:

• Register for free
• Access tender documentation
• Submit responses securely online

Please note: For competitive procurements above £100,000, all documentation and submissions must be made via In-tend. We cannot accept responses outside the portal. Except when a direct award is used through a compliant procurement framework, which does not require routing through In-Tend.

Advertising Opportunities

¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ is not required to advertise its procurement opportunities but may advertise procurement and tender opportunities through a variety of channels, depending on the nature, value and requirements of the purchase.

Our primary e-tendering platform is In-tend, and suppliers are encouraged to register to access current opportunities:

• In-tend (the University's primary tendering platform):

Where considered appropriate, the University may also choose to advertise opportunities through other routes to market, including:

• Relevant framework providers and purchasing consortia
• Supplier networks and sector-specific platforms
• Other advertising channels as determined by the university

Suppliers are encouraged to register on relevant procurement platforms to increase visibility of opportunities across both the public and wider higher education sectors.

¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ is a member of the , (SUPC). We also make frequent use of frameworks provided by organisations such as Crown Commercial Service and the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation. These bodies offer collaborative contracting routes for universities and other public sector organisations, helping suppliers access opportunities across multiple institutions. We encourage suppliers to explore these routes to market, including UK Universities Purchasing Consortia (UKUPC)‑member frameworks, for wider opportunities.

For more information on consortia and sector-wide opportunities, visit the website.

We want to make it easy for suppliers to work with ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ. Here’s how we support you:

• Clear guidance on our procurement processes
• Free registration on In-tend
• Access to advertised opportunities on national platforms
• Information on collaborative frameworks for wider opportunities
• Dedicated Procurement Team to answer queries and provide advice
• Prompt payment terms – 30 days across contract tiers, including sub-contractors
• Consistent feedback following the award process, including debriefs on bid evaluations
• Early pipeline transparency through published Planned Procurement Notices, with shortened time frames following appropriate notification

If you have questions or need help registering, please contact our Procurement Team at procurement@dmu.ac.uk.

We are committed to ethical and responsible sourcing. Each year ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ publishes an annual statement pursuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. 

This statement sets out the steps we take to identify and reduce the risk of modern slavery within our operations and supply chains, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Email: neil.bayliss@dmu.ac.uk

Responsible for estates and facilities management, including:

• Catering, food and beverages
• Cleaning services and supplies
• Estates and buildings construction maintenance
• Estates consultancy
• Furnishings
• Postal equipment and services
• Safety and security
• Utilities

Email: procurement@dmu.ac.uk

Responsible for:

• Art and design equipment
• Clothing and PPE
• Laboratory and medical
• Sport and recreation services and equipment
• Vehicles and fleet

Email: procurement@dmu.ac.uk

Responsible for Digital and ICT, inluding:

• AV and related equipment
• IT consultancy
• IT hardware
• IT software
• IT services
• Printing, reprographics and photocopying
• Telecoms
• Photographic equipment
• IT peripherals and consumables
• Library services and publications

Email: jake.rankine@dmu.ac.uk

Responsible for professional services, including:

• Audit
• Banking
• Consultancy (exc. IT/Estates)
• Health and welfare
• Insurance
• Marketing and communications
• Other professional services
• Staff recruitment and temporary staffing
• Student recruitment
• Training
• Travel and accommodation (staff and student)

Email: james.west@dmu.ac.uk

Responsible for:

• Promotional activity and materials
• Stationery and office supplies
• Tail spend

Email: mohammedjoheb.ali@dmu.ac.uk

Our Payments team is responsible for processing supplier invoices and arranging payments. Any queries regarding your invoice should be sent by email to financepayments@dmu.ac.uk or by phone to 0116 257 7329 Please ensure that our Purchase Order number is quoted on all invoices.

Payments

Financial year	Invoices paid within 30 days	Invoices paid within 37 days	Average days to pay
2017/2018	58%	66%	65
2018/2019	67%	73%	44
2019/2020	74%	80%	36
2020/2021	78%	84%	33
2021/2022	84%	88%	31
2022/2023	83%	87%	27
2023/2024	65%	72%	34
2024/2025	77%	83%	35

Our goal is to pay all suppliers’ invoices within 30 days of receipt of an approved invoice. The orders ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ place with suppliers include a purchase order number, which you must include on your invoice when you send it for payment.

For the financial year ending 31 July 2025 the ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ paid 77% of invoices received within 30 days of the invoice date. Invoices not paid within this timeframe were typically delayed due to the following reasons:

• Missing or invalid Purchase Order number
• Use of a previously issued Purchase Order number
• Discrepancies on the invoice, such as price and/or quantity variances
• Incorrect VAT charges where a VAT exemption certificate had been provided
• Invoice sent to the wrong team for processing

For the financial year ending 31 July 2025, 83% of invoices were paid within 37 days of the invoice date. The extra 7 days allows for the time for Accounts Payable to receive and pay valid invoices from suppliers sent to the incorrect address, or for the University to reasonably consider, verify and resolve disputes with suppliers.

All invoices sent to ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ must quote a valid Purchase Order number unless an exemption has been agreed. Invoices received without a valid Purchase Order will be automatically rejected and must be resubmitted ensuring a valid Purchase Order is quoted.

New suppliers

To become a registered supplier, you will need to complete a New Supplier Details Form, which will be provided by your ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ contact. Once you have filled in the form, please return it directly to them.

In addition, the University requires written confirmation of your bank details on your official company letterhead. This measure is in place to help protect both parties and reduce the risk of fraud.

If you would like to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, you can find more information on our Freedom of Information pages.