Part of Buyers guide
Choosing a procurement route
It's important to choose the most suitable procurement route.
Choosing a procurement route
There are 3 routes you may be able to take for your procurement. See which one is suitable for you and follow the link for more information.
Direct award
Direct awards are contracts awarded without running a full competitive process. You choose your supplier by applying simple selection criteria and award them the contract. The direct award route is usually quick and can be completed in a few hours.
For more information go to the direct award page.
- only one supplier can provide the solution you need
- the total contract value is up to £40,000
- you are buying on catalogue at list price and there are no negotiations needed
- you need to extend an existing order and it's permitted in the contract
- you are replacing something like for like and there's no reasonable alternative
- there is an urgent operational need, and a competition would cause delay
On catalogue competition
If your budget is under £250,000 you can carry out an on catalogue competition. It requires you to follow the pre procurement tasks, but there is no invitation to tender at the end. The competitive procedure is done on the buying catalogue. This can take as little as a few days for simple procurements.
For more information go to the on catalogue competition page.
- your procurement budget is between £40,000 and £250,000
- you are not procuring a foundation solution
Off catalogue competition
If your budget is over £250,000 you will need to carry out an off catalogue competition. This procurement requires you to
- issue a formal invitation to tender to suppliers
- score available solutions
- issue an award
This procurement can take between 30 to 90 days to complete.
For more information go to the off catalogue competition page.
- your procurement budget is over £250,000
- you are procuring a foundation solution
Note
Unless stated, the financial thresholds relate to the total value of the contract, not the annual cost of a multi-year contract.
When you start a procurement on the Buying Catalogue, you'll be asked a few questions. They will guide you through the process based on your requirements. You can also get an estimate of the value of your procurement on the catalogue. Please review the 'List price' section of your desired solution.
Last edited: 19 March 2026 5:35 pm