UKRI-5495 TechFirst: Payment Function

About the buyer

UK Research & Innovation is the non-departmental public body that brings together the seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK, and runs its own supplier portal. Suppliers register and respond to e-tenders on that portal, an Atamis system. Opportunities are also advertised on Contracts Finder and Find a Tender. Framework agreements let by the body, including one for office furniture, are published on Find a Tender. Tenders from the national laboratories run by the Science and Technology Facilities Council appear on the same portal. The UK Industrial Liaison Office gives UK companies advance notice of tenders from international facilities such as CERN and ESO.

Procurement spend from central entities makes up 66% of overall UK public spend.

Over the past 5 years, most of UK Research & Innovation's contract awards have been in business services, laboratory and precision equipment and repair and maintenance.