Our suppliers
Our Suppliers
Who we buy from
Each year we spend millions of pounds on goods, works and services. We are committed to working in partnership with our suppliers in a business friendly environment.
Kingston Council is committed to developing diverse markets, ensuring the Council is accessible to all suppliers, including opportunities for the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) and local SMEs. We embrace the benefits that Social Value can bring and the Council has adopted the London Living Wage across our staff and contacts
Some purchases that we make will be one-off payments. However, where there is an ongoing requirement, a contract is created.
For goods and services used across all Council services and teams, we have a number of corporate contracts. All members of staff are required to use these contracts.
Council services also have their own contracts for goods, works and services specific to their area of work.
You can search our current contract on the Contracts Register
Measuring value
As a commissioning council we look to identify the best way of delivering goods and services to secure the outcomes we want to achieve, such as best value for money. This process helps form our selection and evaluation criteria.
As a result, suppliers are varied – from micro businesses and small and medium enterprises to the voluntary sector, from local businesses to major international companies. We also share our services with other public sector organisations where it is best to do so.
We use the policy and legal tools, such as the Social Value Act, to add value to our procurement. For example, we may build into a procurement process the requirement to demonstrate a positive impact on the borough’s community, economy and environment.
The council has a legal duty to consider social value in all of its third party contracts. But more than this, we fully embrace the benefits it can bring and are committed to creating opportunities and the right environment for suppliers to deliver added social value as part of their solutions.
Small and medium sized enterprises
For information on how to do business with us please see our page - Contract opportunities.
We appreciate how bidding for Council contracts can seem overwhelming and we aim to support you in any way we can.
We have adopted the National Procurement Concordat for small and medium sized enterprises. This is a statement of principles to encourage effective trade between local authorities and small businesses.
You can read more about this on the UK Government Web achieve
Voluntary sector
Kingston has an active and vibrant Voluntary and Community sector. Organisations often work directly with the community to offer unique solutions with committed and dedicated staff and volunteers who have a passion for supporting our residents to achieve and thrive. We appreciate the Social Value added by groups from this sector, and we are committed to developing our relationship with them as suppliers of services.
Doing Business with Kingston Council guide for suppliers
The Council has produced a supplier's guide for doing business which provides information about our procurement processes, values and culture, including Social Value, London Living Wage, Equalities and Diversity, Environment and Sustainability and support to businesses.
Local Supply Chain Business Directory
We invite local businesses to register on our local supplier directory, these details will be shared internally with staff at the Council as a resource for finding potential suppliers to seek quotes from. Spend can range from a few hundred pounds up to millions so suppliers of all sizes and sectors are encouraged to register.
The directory will also be shared with suppliers working with the Council looking to subcontract with local businesses and will also be published on the council website and updated on a quarterly basis.
Learn more about the Local Supply Chain Business Directory and submit your details here.