Supplier contacts
Please note that we do not offer a telephone service. However, if you have any questions you can email the procurement team at: aprocurement@thepensionsregulator.gsi.gov.uk
If you are a current contracted supplier needing to speak to your contract manager, please email the appropriate department as follows:
Facilities: afacilities.support@thepensionsregulator.gsi.gov.uk
HR: ahrserviceteam@thepensionsregulator.gsi.gov.uk
IT: IT@thepensionsregulator.gsi.gov.uk
You can find out more about doing business with us in our guide for suppliers: A guide for suppliers: How to do business with The Pensions Regulator (PDF).
Introduction
As a non-departmental public body, the regulator must comply with European Union procurement directives and UK procurement regulations. Procurement within the public sector is important and complex. The regulator's procurement team will:
- ensure compliance with UK and European Law
- select the most efficient and effective procurement route
- achieve best value for money
- source and vett suppliers
- review and agree contract terms and conditions.
We have a primary objective to ensure that we procure goods and services of appropriate quality, on suitable terms and at a price which represents value for money. We aim to deliver best practice procurement to ensure the regulator:
- has a procurement function and capability appropriate to meeting the corporate strategy
- has a contract management capability to improve 'business as usual' requirements
- applies regulatory and legislative compliance in commercial activities and maximise its value for money performance
- fulfils its corporate social responsibility, sustainability and best practice commitments.
Supplying us
We're keen to share information about doing business. Our current and future suppliers, of both goods and services, play an important role in helping us to achieve our corporate objectives.
It's our policy to encourage small and medium enterprises (SMEs), black, asian and minority ethnic organisations (BAMEs) and the voluntary and community sector organisations (VCS) to bid for regulator contracts, and work with larger suppliers to subcontract to such organisations. We aim to further enhance opportunities for these organisations wherever possible and we must be consistent with value for money and the need to treat all companies fairly.
A guide for suppliers: How to do Business with The Pensions Regulator (PDF) tells you more about our current initiatives.
Government efficiency programme
The regulator is currently subject to the guidelines contained within the government efficiency program. This includes the following:
- All commodity goods and services being purchased from a centrally governed framework - this includes the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) buying solutions, the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the emergency services or other government frameworks awarded by bodies that cover the entire or large proportions of public sector spend.
- All new contracts and procurements over £25k requiring senior management and/or CEO approval. Where possible, procurements should use the OGC and other approved centralised frameworks. Only where the item is not covered by these frameworks, should other routes be used. The business case approvals process is to be followed even where procurements use existing frameworks.
- All consultancy (including interims/contractors and temps) requiring senior management approval; spend over £25k requiring CEO approval; spend over £100k requiring ministerial approval.
- All communications or marketing spend, which includes research, printing and communicating with our audiences up to £100k requiring CEO approval; all spend over £100k requiring ministerial approval.
- All external recruitment – this includes the extension of contractors, fixed term, secondees and interims requiring senior management and/or CEO approval; recruitment or extension of roles over £1452,500pa requiring ministerial and Chief Secretary to Treasury approval.
Transparency
Achieving greater transparency of public sector procurement and contracting
Government has set out the need for greater transparency across its operations to enable the public to hold public bodies and politicians to account. This includes commitments relating to public expenditure, intended to help achieve better value for money.
As part of the transparency agenda, Government has made the following commitments with regard to procurement and contracting:
- all new tender and contract documents for contracts over £10,000 to be published on Contracts Finder (via Buisness Link) - this information is made available to the public free of charge
- contracts register published monthly
- spend over £25k published monthly
Suppliers and those organisations looking to bid for public sector contracts should be aware that it they are awarded a new government contract, the resulting contract between the supplier and government will be published. In some circumstances, limited redactions will be made to some contracts before they are published in order to comply with existing law and for the protection of national security.
eTendering
Our policy is to trade electronically with all suppliers where possible.
In 2008 we implemented a 'Purchase to Pay' system and in 2010 an eSourcing solution. The former enables internal customers to purchase all goods and services electronically. The latter provides a suite of collaborative, web-based tools that enable procurement professionals and suppliers to conduct the strategic activities of the procurement lifecycle online. It provides a simple, secure and efficient means for managing tendering activities, reducing the time and effort required for both buyers and suppliers.
For all our current opportunities, take a look at our eTendering service. It's a web-based system used to advertise quotation and tender opportunities and information on procurement projects. The service allows you to:
- access tender documentation online
- download and complete your tender
- submit the tender electronically.
Register and log in to our eTendering service
Q&A: eTendering
Any questions? Take a look at our Q&A on the eTendering process.
eContract managment module
The service is hosted by Bravosolutions and the eContract Management module allows complete integration with the public sector EU compliant secure eTendering tool, for true end-to-end process management and supplier performance management.
eContract Management is a sophisticated tool set that allows centralised electronic storage, renewal alerting, reporting and supplier obligation / performance tracking. Population of the portal will commence in May 2010 and be fully operational by November 2010.
You can view the regulator's current live contracts on our contracts register.
Terms and conditions
This section will provide you with samples of the regulator’s standard terms and conditions documents.
Our general terms and conditions of contract apply to any purchase order that is not already covered by any specific terms and conditions for a contract, or framework agreement, previously agreed as part of a formal tender process:
General terms and conditions (PDF)
The documents below are our sample terms and conditions for the specified areas of procurement (please note there is an additional set for recruitment services to follow shortly - these will be issued by the procurement team if required):
General terms and conditions for the provisions of services (PDF)
General terms and conditions for the provision of goods (PDF)
General terms and conditions for consultancy services (PDF)
General terms and conditions - framework agreement (PDF)
General terms and conditions - recruitment services (PDF)