Huntington School Cook House and Wilberforce Block Works

About the buyer

City of York Council is a unitary authority covering the city of York, and buys as a local government organisation through its own dedicated commercial procurement service. Suppliers bid for tenders and quotation opportunities through the YORtender online portal. Much of this procurement flows through the Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation, a public sector purchasing consortium. Contractors bidding for larger building works need Constructionline Gold accreditation. A Procurement Forward Plan lists potential upcoming projects and tendering opportunities across the council. The council has belonged to the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority since 2024.

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 City of York Council's contract awards have been in construction work, IT services and architectural and engineering services.