Where it is advantageous, the Procurement staff will endeavour to set up formal procurement arrangements with suppliers. These arrangements are designed to provide improved terms to the institution (purchase price, delivery etc) and their use will save time at departmental level as there will be no need to seek further competitive prices to confirm the use of the supplier. The arrangements may be set up by the institution itself, one of the sector's Regional Consortia or Working Groups or an external organisation that has named the sector or your specific institution when setting up the arrangement.
Departments should contact their Procurement Office where there may be an opportunity for long-term arrangements that could result in improved terms (eg price, delivery etc) for a commodity. An assessment can be completed and if deemed advantageous, a formal arrangement set up. The arrangement may be on behalf of the user department, the institution or, if there is wider interest, on a consortium basis with other institutions.
Information on purchasing arrangements available for use by your institution will be available from its Procurement Office.