Reminder to colleagues: Single tender waivers

July 22, 2020

We are seeing increasing numbers of single tender waivers with poor justification or orders raised to pay invoices in recent weeks – here is a reminder of the principles that should be followed at all times, in accordance with the Trust’s Standing Financial Instructions (SFIs). The SFIs are designed to ensure that our financial transactions are carried out in accordance with the law and Government policy in order to achieve probity, accuracy, economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Put simply, if we don’t follow the SFIs, we can’t guarantee we are delivering value for money. The principles are as follows and apply to capital and revenue expenditure plans:

• Less than £10,000 – a minimum of two verbal quotations
• £10,000-£24,999 – a minimum of three written quotations
• £25,000-£122,976 – Competitive procurement exercise carried out by Trust procurement department – invite minimum three suppliers
• Above £122,976 – as above plus advertise in Official Journal of the EU (current requirement)

There are four key messages to note:

1. Plan your expenditure and your procurement route to ensure best value for public money
2. Do not enter in to last minute contractual arrangements that mean we cannot ensure value for money
3. Raise requisitions and purchase orders well in advance of incurring the cost
4. Involve the procurement team as early as possible