Economic Development Strategy

About the buyer

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a local authority that buys under its own Contract Regulations, using a corporate contract first wherever one covers the purchase. Every tender is advertised on the London Tenders Portal, the council's e-tendering system. Contracts above the Procurement Act 2023 thresholds also appear on Find a Tender. Lower-value work goes to written quotations, preferably from local suppliers, or to call-off from a framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system. A three-year Commercial Pipeline lists the larger procurements the council expects to run. A contracts register names the main suppliers so that potential sub-contractors can approach them directly.

UK local government drives £140bn in annual procurement, led by social protection (£66.6bn) and education (£57.1bn).

Over the past 5 years, most of Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames's contract awards have been in transport services, architectural and engineering services and construction work.