Becoming a Preferred Supplier

If you are interested in becoming a Preferred Supplier you should register an interest by sending a brief email about your company and the goods or services you provide to [email protected].

If you are a local business, or a small or medium sized business, you should also include this detail within your email.

You will receive a standard response to this email, and your details will be stored for review by the University’s Purchasing Department.

The University tends to develop long-term relationships with its Preferred Suppliers, with categories of Preferred Suppliers being reviewed on a periodic basis. The frequency of the review will depend on the nature of the category and the performance of current Preferred Suppliers. As a result there may not be an opportunity to become a Preferred Supplier in a particular category in the short or medium term.

When a category of spend is reviewed, if your details are of interest you will be contacted by the relevant category buyer. You may then be offered Preferred Supplier status directly based on your credentials, or be asked to participate in a competitive tender process.

If your company is selected to become a Preferred Supplier, or you participate in a tender process to become a Preferred Supplier, you will need to:

• agree to the relevant University Standard Terms and Conditions (PDF)
• assure the University of the quality of the goods or services you provide
• offer the University preferential pricing
• demonstrate financial stability and sufficient capacity to meet the University’s needs
• demonstrate the commitment to actively promote your company throughout the University’s devolved departments
• provide strong references
• demonstrate excellent sustainability credentials
• commit to working with the University on a continuous improvement programme – including electronic trading