Overview
Procurement is a strategic, end-to-end process involving the acquisition of goods and services from external suppliers. It encompasses identifying and defining needs (through specifications), issuing invitations to tender, evaluating proposals, negotiating contracts, and managing supplier relationships. The emphasis is on achieving long-term value through strategic sourcing, cost efficiency, and strong supplier performance.
In UCD, we are responsible for overseeing and facilitating this process, ensuring it complies with all relevant public procurement regulations.
Roles & Responsibilities
Our role
Our role includes:
- Consolidating university-wide spending to identify the most effective procurement strategies and deliver value for money.
- Advising and supporting staff on all procurement-related matters to ensure compliance with relevant policies and regulations.
- Promoting a standardised approach to procurement to maintain consistency across all purchasing activities.
- Managing a central repository of the University’s tendering activities and contractual agreements.
- Providing regular reports to UCD senior management and external stakeholders on procurement-related issues.
- Fostering strong relationships with the Education Procurement Service (EPS) and the Office of Government Procurement (OGP).
Your role
If you are participating in a tendering project, your responsibilities include:
- Developing a clear and comprehensive specification that is open and non-restrictive
- Confirming that the necessary budget has been approved prior to commencing the process
- Working with the Procurement team to define appropriate award criteria and weightings
- Ensuring there are no conflicts of interest among those involved in the process
- Assembling an evaluation team, consisting of at least two members
Timelines
The Procurement Team requires a minimum of four weeks' notice to initiate a tender process.
For a National Tender, the estimated timeline from the point a clear and detailed specification is finalised to identifying a preferred bidder is approximately 6 to 8 weeks.
For an EU Tender, this timeline typically extends to 10 to 12 weeks.
Requests for audit support or sole source reviews generally require an average of three weeks to process.
Competitive Procedure Thresholds
The table sets out the procurement thresholds applicable to the University for the procurement of Goods and Services and the appropriate procedure in each case (where no existing contractual arrangement or framework is in place). All threshold figures are exclusive of VAT.
| Value | Action |
|---|---|
| Less than €5,000 |
Obtain verbal quotes from a minimum of 2 companies (best practice is to seek a minimum of 3 quotes) |
| Between €5,000 and €50,000 | Evidence that three quotations were sought from a minimum of three companies. |
| Over €50,000 to €221,000 (EU threshold) |
Procurement & Purchasing Function runs national tender on (opens in a new window)etenders (Ireland's national tendering website), or (opens in a new window)OGP/(opens in a new window)EPS procures on behalf of university. |
| Over EU threshold |
Procurement & Purchasing Function runs EU tender on (opens in a new window)etenders or (opens in a new window)OGP/(opens in a new window)EPS procures on behalf of university. |
To enable the University to comply fully with public procurement guidelines, budget holders should consult the Procurement and Purchasing Function at the earliest opportunity if the €50,000 threshold is likely to be exceeded. Budget holders must estimate the anticipated total spend over the lifetime of their requirement (including any extensions and excluding VAT).
Sole Source Information
The UCD SSJ Application Form must be used for all purchases where a sole source is proposed for spend valued in excess of €50,000 but, was not formally tendered; and is not covered under an existing framework or UCD Goods / Services Contract.
The process/form must also be used where a single source is proposed for spend between €5,000 - €50,000 value, where the minimum requirement of 3 x valid quotations cannot be obtained and UCD Procurement approval is necessary for spend compliance governance and completeness of audit records, particularly externally funded research.
Procurement will review the sole source application to assess whether a valid justification exists for the sole source designation. Based on this review, the application will either be approved or rejected. Suppliers must not be asked to provide any goods or services until Procurement has completed its review and communicated the outcome to the requester. If approved, a purchase order can then be raised.