Procurement at MHRA
Information about procurement at the Agency and how we're improving procurement opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) buys a wide range of goods and services to meet our customer’s needs.
Most of our procurement involves a competitive tendering process and follows the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These will change according to the value of the contract.
Details of our tender and contract documents are available on the Contracts Finder website.
Procurements that exceed the thresholds set in Public Procurement Note 06/19 – Annex A are advertised in Find a Tender Service via a contract notice.
The Find a Tender Service publishes information on all high-value procurement opportunities, typically over £122,976 but varying in some cases. It invites suppliers to express interest or tender directly and sets out information about our contracts that have been awarded.
Tendering Opportunities
The MHRA advertises 3 types of opportunity on the Contracts Finder website. These are:
- Opportunity: this is a live tendering opportunity that potential suppliers can bid on
- Future opportunity: these are potential future opportunities that may become live tendering opportunities within the next five years
- Early engagement: we use this type of opportunity to engage with the market place to aid the development of ideas that may potentially become opportunities in the future
View the Agency’s commercial pipeline, which details opportunities over the next 18 months with a Total Contract Value of greater than £2m.
How to tender for a public-sector contract
The guide Sell goods or services to the public sector gives detailed information about the procurement and tendering process, how to use contracts finder and how to search for a contract.
eProcurement provides an efficient, simple and auditable way of managing sourcing and contract management. To take part in an eProcurement event you must register through the eTendering portal. To register, you will need a DUNS number.
For further information contact the eTendering team at purchasing@mhra.gov.uk or telephone 01707 641 355.
Tender and contractual complaints process
The MHRA is committed to public sector best practice. Competitive processes are governed by EU law and UK legislation. In all commercial activities, we are committed to pursuing the highest standards of professionalism, ethical conduct and impartiality.
We are always ready to receive feedback on our competitive processes, whether negative or positive, and will respond to complaints using this complaints process.
We are fully committed to maintaining confidentiality and will take appropriate measures to ensure it. If you are currently involved in tendering for work with the MHRA, you can be assured that your comments will not be allowed to prejudice the fair treatment of your tender.
How to complain
Complaints should be made in writing to the named contact point for the relevant competitive tender round.
We acknowledge all complaints in writing within 5 working days and aim to respond within 10 working days. If a full response cannot be issued within this timescale we will let you know how long it will take.
Information to accompany a complaint
If you have a comment or complaint about any aspect of a current/recent procurement round, please provide in writing full details of the procurement round you are referring to including if possible:
- Any reference details
- Goods/service being tendered for
- Contact details of the relevant commercial contract manager
Agency purchase order terms and conditions
Terms and Conditions for the Provision of Goods
Terms and Conditions for the Provision of Services
Terms and Conditions for Goods and Services less than £10,000
Prompt payment of our suppliers
We aim to pay all valid and authorised invoices within 5 working days in line with the prompt payment code. We will not be changing our existing contractual terms and conditions. The date of receipt is defined as the day we receive your invoice at our address.
Invoicing the MHRA
When invoicing us you must include the following information:
- Date of invoice
- Your name and contact details
- Your bank details
- The purchase order number as stated on the purchase order sent to you
- The agreed charge to match the figure provided on the purchase order
- Send your invoice to the email and/or postal addresses provided on the purchase order
If you have any queries, contact Accounts Payable:
Email: accounts.payable@mhra.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 3080 6000
Invoices received without the above information will be returned to suppliers unpaid.
If an invoice is being disputed we will tell you who to contact with further enquiries. The payment target will be frozen while the dispute is resolved. If your invoice is legitimate and we take over 30 days to pay it, you may have recourse through the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
Working with small and medium enterprise (SME)
SMEs have a key role to play in the UK’s economy and the government’s Open for Business Strategy. The government has set a target of 33% of all government contracted spend with SME by 2022
Find out more about bidding for government contracts in the doing business with government guide for SMEs.
We will demonstrate our commitment to the SME Agenda by ensuring that businesses of all sizes can work with us and aim to increase the number of SMEs that can compete for government business.
Read more about the government’s Open for Business Strategy.
Supporting SMEs
The MHRA has produced a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Action Plan.
This provides background to us as an Agency, describes the outcomes we are seeking to achieve for SMEs, our supply chain and some of the actions we will take to achieve them.
These measures will encourage innovation and broaden the scope of businesses who can respond to our requirements. We are working to give all our suppliers the confidence to invest for the future and the ability to compete on a level playing field.
Crown Commercial Service, part of Cabinet Office, report on all Government Department spend.