Procurement
Ayrshire College is committed to obtaining value for money in all its procurement activities and ensuring that the procurement of goods, services and works adheres to the college's procurement strategy and financial regulations
Procurement at Ayrshire College
Procurement within the College is devolved to departments. However, the overall remit of Procurement is structured as follows:
Alan Ritchie, Vice Principal - Finance and Infrastructure
Liz Walker - Chief Financial Controller
Kathleen Harper - Procurement Manager
Questions should, in the first instance be directed to our Procurement Manager.
Tel: 0300 303 0303 ext: 8546
Supplying Ayrshire College
Ayrshire College is a member of Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC) Ltd which is the Procurement Centre of Expertise for Universities and Colleges. APUC Ltd works collaboratively with Universities and Colleges in setting up contracts on behalf of the Higher and Further Education Sectors in Scotland. Ayrshire College procures from these contracts where possible.
The College also has access to the following:
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UK Higher and Further Education Framework Agreements
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Scottish Government Procurement Services Framework Agreements
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National Public Sector Framework Agreements
Where the College requires to procure goods, services or works that are not covered by Framework Agreements set up by the above, the College complies with the following procedure:
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£0-£5,000 – 1 quote
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£5,001 - £35,000 – 3 written quotes
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£35,001 - £213,477 – Competitive Tenders
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Above £213,477 (goods and services)- UK e-notification service
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Above £5,336,937 (works) – UK e-notification service
Note - all figures inclusive of VAT
Sustainable and Ethical Procurement
Sustainable Procurement is defined as
'a process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis and generates benefits not only to the organisation, but also to society, the economy and the environment'.
Ayrshire College is committed to achieving sustainable procurement through an on-going process of developing procurement procedures with all elements of the supply chain to ensure social, ethical and environmental criteria are integrated into contracts aimed at achieving best value by:
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Adopting the APUC Supply Chain Code of Conduct as part of our commitment to conducting procurement activities in a socially responsible manner, you can read the Supply Chain Code of Conduct by clicking below.
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Using the Sustainability Test for contracts over £50,000.
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Considering the whole life cost of goods and services procured
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Considering the environmental and social impact of goods and services in the tender process
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Communicating and promoting sustainability to all employees and ensuring that it is included in the tender process
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Using the Public Contracts Scotland Advertising Portal for goods and services above £25,000
Public Contracts Scotland Advertising Portal (PCS)
Ayrshire College advertises all tenders above £50,000 through the Public Contracts Scotland Advertising Portal. The PCS Portal is also used for smaller value tenders and/or Quick Quotes.
Terms and Conditions
This link will take you to the Ayrshire College Standard Terms and Conditions for Purchase of Goods and Services
Purchase Orders
The College issues Purchase Orders for goods and services. The purchase order placed will provide details of the requirement, the delivery and invoice addresses, and will specifically contain a purchase order number which must be quoted on any invoice submitted for payment. Where an invoice is submitted without a valid purchase order number quoted it will delay it being processed or paid.
Payment
Unless specific contract terms have been agreed, the College’s standard payment terms are 30 days from receipt of a valid invoice, and an invoice will only be deemed valid if a purchase order number is quoted upon it.
Privacy Notice- Tendering Contractor/Contractor Staff
Download a copy of our Privacy Notice
Current Contracts and Future Tenders
Ayrshire College current contracts can be viewed at Ayrshire College Contracts Register
Procurement strategy and report
Ayrshire College are open and ttansparent about our procurment transparency and reporting
Modern Slavery Statement
Ayrshire College is committed to the protection of and respect for all human rights and has adopted a zero-tolerance position to slavery and human trafficking in all its forms. It’s statement constitutes the College’s slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year beginning 1 August 2024 and ending 31 July 2025. It sets out the steps the College has taken and will take across its teaching and operational activities in relation to slavery and human trafficking as set out in Section 54, Part 6 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Further Action
Ayrshire College will work to continue to raise awareness of modern slavery both internally and with our external stakeholders and suppliers.
We will identify and work with our suppliers to ensure that they share this commitment.
Other useful procurement information
Supplier Development Programme
The Supplier Development Programme offers free training, support and information to SMEs and 3rd sector organisations interested in working with the public sector. Suppliers will also find there, details of external events that may be of interest.
Scottish Government Supplier Journey
The Scottish Government has created the Supplier Journey which provides guidance on the procurement process for the public sector in Scotland
Ready for Business
Ready for Business is a third sector led consortium that provides support to businesses and public sector organisations and embeds social value in the procurement process through sustainable procurement.