Procurement and tendering

The Commercial and Contract Management Department (CCM) oversees the procurement activity and contract management processes for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire (PCC) and the Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police (CC).

Our procurement and tendering processes are set against the following clear priorities:

• We are committed to dealing with suppliers fairly and ethically.
• Delivery of year-on-year financial efficiencies, but not at the cost of quality
• We shall comply with all internal and external requirements including all procurement legislation and any statutory regulations for the provision of certain equipment and services for police purposes
• Consideration shall be given to the whole life cost of supplies or services as well as the initial purchase price (e.g. servicing, implementation, training, warranties, and replacement)
• Targets and performance measures shall be used to improve and monitor supplier performance in major areas of expenditure.
• Embracing and promoting social value by asking suppliers to reflect our sustainable & ethical procurement approaches, and diversity & inclusion objectives including our status as a Disability Confident leader.

Each contract that we enter into should make a contribution to these objectives.

We control our commercial activity through a strict process which changes depending on the value of the requirement. Lower levels of spend are devolved to local engagement although there is still a strict sign off and approval process.

How to sell to us

We have a duty to comply with all public sector procurement legislation as well as the Financial, Contract and Procurement Regulations of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire (PCC) and the Chief Constable, which you can find in the Downloads below.

This means that various procedures need to be followed. These procedures are dependent on the purchasing thresholds. 

Where national or regional framework arrangements and contracts exist, the procedures below will not apply.  Purchases will be called off from these contracts as and when required. Where multiple contractor/supplier frameworks exist, selection will either be against pre-determined contract information or by further competition.

Lincolnshire Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire operate a No PO, No Pay (no Purchase Order, no Payment) policy in respect of all purchases made by the Force from a supplier for the provision of goods, works and/or services. This means that invoices received without an official, valid Purchase Order number will not be processed and will be returned to the supplier unpaid.

More Information

For further information, go to our No PO, No Pay information page for full details and frequently asked questions.

Go to the Sell2 Contracts Register for details of the contracts that are being used by Lincolnshire Police and the PCC.

Purchasing thresholds

The purchasing thresholds are as follows:

Contracts of up to £10,000

These contracts are not normally advertised.  Under delegated purchasing, individual heads of departments can sign off purchase requisitions and approve purchase orders having received one written quote. See Delegated Purchasing below.

Contracts of between £10,000.01 to £25,000

These contracts are also not normally advertised. Written quotes are invited from at least three contractors/suppliers.  See Delegated Purchasing below. CCM may oversee this process from time to time. Any service that is provided under this threshold that requires a signed contract or the Terms and Conditions are not those of PCC/Lincolnshire Police will be managed in conjunction with the CCM department.  

Contracts of between £25,000.01 and the thresholds below

Where a formal tendering process is being undertaken, we usually advertise these on the InTend e-tendering portal (see details below) as well as on the Find a Tender website. Advertisements may also be placed in specialist publications. Contact should only be made via the CCM for these contracts.

Qualifying supply and service contracts above £207,720 (including VAT), works contracts above £5,193,000 (including VAT) and Light Touch contracts above £663,540 (including VAT)

The Procurement Act 2023 and the Procurement Regulations 2024 along with the Government’s National Procurement Policy Statement apply. You can find these contracts advertised on the UK Find a tender website. Contact should only be made via the Commercial and Contract Management department for these contracts.

InTend eTendering System

InTend is a web-based e-tendering solution and registration is free.

Go to the website at https://sell2.in-tend.co.uk/blpd/home.

When registering, we recommend that you use a generic email address (e.g. [email protected]) and a job title (e.g. Sales Administrator).  Do this instead of using individual names and email addresses to prevent any inconvenience when staff changes occur.

Once registered, you will be able to view and express interest in our tender opportunities as well as from other authorities. You will also receive automatic email notifications of any future opportunities advertised.

We also make use of collaborative arrangements with other police forces and public sector organisations to contract for goods and services. Working together means that we can benefit from: 

• better economies of scale
• standardisation of requirements 
• more sustainable procurement.  

You can find these contract opportunities advertised on the UK Find a Tender Service website by the contracting authority leading the procurement process. To see such opportunities please see Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk).

National Police Procurement Hub (NPPH)

We use an electronic purchase to pay (P2P) system called the National Police Procurement Hub (NPPH) supplied by Basware. All orders are sent out electronically via the NPPH system. If we award a contract to you, you will need to register on this system so that we can trade with your company. You will also be encouraged to submit electronic invoices via the NPPH system.

Delegated purchasing

Individual departments can award contracts for goods, works and services under delegated limits (i.e. up to £25,000) in accordance with the PCC’s and Chief Constable's Financial, Contract and Procurement Regulations. These are often, but not always, individual purchase orders.

These orders are often awarded:  

• as required against framework arrangements/contracts let by Lincolnshire Police/PCC or other forces/public bodies.  For example, “corporate” arrangements/contracts where purchasing compliance, in normal circumstances, is required. 
• as required for goods/works and services not covered by such arrangements/contracts.

This is known as “Delegated Purchasing”.

Terms and conditions

You can view and download our standard terms and conditions for low value purchase orders below (value and risk typically below £25,000). 

For older versions of the Terms and Conditions or for copies of any of the higher value Terms and Conditions, please contact the CCM.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, sets out exemptions from that right, and places a number of obligations on public authorities. 

Contracts awarded

Contract information (which the Chief Constable and/or the PCC is a party to) is available to view via the Sell2 (in-tend.co.uk) website.

More help and support

Contact our Commercial and Contract Management Department

Email: [email protected]

InTend Sell2UK
sell2.in-tend.co.uk

Contracts Finder
Contracts Finder - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

UK Find a Tender Service
find-tender.service.gov.uk

Downloads