Information for suppliers

Tenders

If the area of spend does not fall within a standard Framework Agreement, depending of the expected value of the purchase and the type of commodity to be purchased, the University will carry out a competitive tender exercise.

All tenders are advertised on In-Tend which is an electronic tendering portal.

Interested suppliers should register on the In-Tend system (registration is free of charge), once registered suppliers will receive notification of any relevant tender advertisements placed, expression of interest can be made by the supplier to the appropriate tender.  Once an expression of interest has been made the tender documents can be downloaded.

To register on the In-Tend system, please click on the link as follows: In-Tend 

Note: Registering on In-Tend system does not mean that you are a contracted supplier to Keele University or the Consortium.  The supplier needs to download the tender documentation once advertised, submit a tender for evaluation and be successfully awarded.

If the value of the contract is over the current UK thresholds, in accordance with Public Procurement Regulations, notification of the tender process is placed in Fina a Tender www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/.

The advert (called a Contract Notice) will be placed on Find a Tender and a link to In-Tend. Interested suppliers should register on the In-Tend system.

For any general enquiries regarding becoming a Keele University supplier please email: finance.purchasing@keele.ac.uk

In-Tend help link
In-Tend support email: support@in-tend.com
In-Tend support telephone: 0845 557 8079

General terms and conditions of purchase

• General conditions of purchase

Contract for services

• Contract for services

Fraud risk

• Be aware, read this fraud alert

Contractors working on campus

• Notification of changes to procedures for contractors working on campus

Important Information - The way that you invoice us is changing

Keele University will transition to a new automated invoice scanning solution on Monday 2nd June 2025. To ensure prompt payment of invoices, the following requirements need to be adhered to. The preferred method of receiving invoices is via e-mail, which will automatically load onto the system and be promptly validated/processed.

NEW: Two Email Addresses

ALL Invoices and Credits should ONLY be e-mailed to the following address for automated scanning: -

finance.supplierpayments@keele.ac.uk

However please note, the above dedicated inbox is NOT MONITORED. For this reason, we request all supplier queries, including statement queries, to be sent to the following address:

payments@keele.ac.uk

NEW: Invoice Submission Requirements

All invoices and credits sent to finance.supplierpayments@keele.ac.uk MUST meet the following criteria to be compliant. All non-compliant invoices and credits will be automatically returned unpaid: -

• Each invoice/credit attachment received by Keele at the defined e-mail address  MUST be in either a PDF or Word format
• Each invoice/credit received by Keele at the defined e-mail address MUST ONLY contain one single PDF/Word document PER invoice/credit. To further clarify, each invoice/credit MUST ONLY be issued with one separate PDF/Word file for each Purchase Order provided
• Supporting documents need to be incorporated into the same PDF/Word File as the invoice/credit and not sent separately within the e-mail submission, as each file is treated as a new document
• The PDF/Word File must not have security applied and should be attached to the original email, not embedded as part of a forwarded email.
• The PDF/Word document must not have Invalid characters (\ / : * ? < > |) in the filename as these will result in the document not being imported for processing.
• Each attachment to your e-mail is uniquely named. To clarify, one email with one attachment, and the attachment name should not match any other attachment previously submitted.
• Your invoice/credit is electronically typed, not handwritten.
• Where possible PDF images should be originally generated by the system rather than scanned images saved via a multi-function device.
• It is recommended that PDF images are of a minimum resolution of 300dpi.
• It is also recommended that the PDF/Word file sizes be kept as low as possible; typically, less than 150KB.

• AS CURRENT: Compliant Invoicing

  A compliant invoice should include the following information:

  • Clearly addressed to the Keele University
  • Your full company name and address
  • A unique invoice number, which will be recorded on our system and quoted on your remittance advice or during any other correspondence with you
  • A clear description of the goods and/or services provided
  • Accurate quantities, prices and amount due
  • VAT registration number
  • A breakdown of the goods and/or service clearly showing the net price, the VAT rate, the VAT amount, and the total amount for each line on the invoice
  • A valid Purchase Order Number in the format of KUxxxxxxxx for the goods and/or services you are invoicing for on the invoice

   

  A compliant invoice or credit should be emailed to finance.supplierpayments@keele.ac.uk, in pdf or word format, with a single attachment per email

  Non-compliant invoices will be returned to the supplier unpaid

  Documents submitted in any other format (including Excel) cannot be accepted and will not be processed.

  ONLY IF you are unable to email invoices, please post them to:

  Accounts Payable Office

  IC1 Building

  Keele University

  Keele

  Staffordshire

  ST5 5NH

Where to find us - Keele University Procurement Office

• How to find us

You can locate Keele University's Procurement Office at the address below. 

Visitor parking is available outside IC2 reception. Please ask at IC2 reception at the time of parking for temporary parking permit.

Keele University Procurement Office
Innovation Centre 2 (IC2)
Science and Innovation Park
Keele
Staffordshire
ST5 5NH

Disability Confident Employer

Keele University is proud to be an accredited Disability Confident employer.  The Disability Confident scheme supports employers to make the most of the contribution and talent that people with disabilities can bring to the workplace. To find out more about what it means to be Disability Confident, its many advantages for employers, and how to sign up, please visit Disability Confident or How to sign up to the Disability Confident employer scheme

The University’s Responsible Procurement Strategy 2022-2027 outlines our principles and practices for the acquisition of goods, services and building works. We have integrated modern slavery into the University’s terms and conditions for purchase contracts. Suppliers are required to:

• Comply with the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and all other applicable laws regarding anti-slavery and human trafficking.
• Maintain their policies to ensure compliance.
• Perform due diligence on their supply chains and include anti-slavery and human trafficking provisions in their supply contracts.

Suppliers are required to notify the University of any breaches and provide the University with annual compliance reports on request. 

See link to the: Responsible Procurement Strategy 2022-2027

See link to the: Modern Slavery Statement Jun 2023