Procurement at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Government policies regarding procurement 

We apply Government Procurement Policy and Guidance throughout the Procurement lifecycle. Further information can be found at Procurement policy notes – GOV.UK 

You can find more information about Public Sector Procurement here: Information and guidance for suppliers – GOV.UK & Public-sector procurement – GOV.UK 

Transforming public procurement 

The Procurement Act 2023, effective from 24 February 2025, revamped public sector purchasing. The main benefits include: 

• simplifying and flexing the commercial system while meeting international obligations  

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority uses external suppliers for goods, services and works. Our contracts are awarded by competition between potential suppliers, unless there are compelling reasons why competition cannot be used.  

We utilise a mixture of Tendering routes to achieve the best competition, from cross-Government Frameworks to Open Tenders.  

Find a Tender is where all contract opportunities over £30,000 (including VAT) are published as well as details on: 

• contracts that have been let 
• how contracts are being changed 

As a potential supplier, we encourage you to register for Find a Tender to view opportunities and tender for government contracts. You will need to register if you are interested in bidding on contracts that are in scope of the Procurement Act 2023. 

LCRCA’s Procurement pipeline provides a forward look of our potential procurement activity over the next 18 months. LCRCA will publish Pipeline Notices for anticipated procurements valued at £2 million and over. The information presented is for reference only and reflects LCRCA’s anticipated procurement pipeline LCRCA makes no commitment that: 

• the requirements identified will be procured 
• the annual value of any contract will be as stated 
• the timing of any future procurement exercises will be as stated 

The sourcing route for any subsequent procurement may not been determined, for example it may be via frameworks managed by Crown Commercial Services (CCS) (or other similar body) or Open competitions. LCRCA cannot guarantee that these opportunities will be available to all suppliers.  

LCRCA uses The Chest eSourcing portal by Proactis, a secure and compliant method for managing tendering activities and reducing the time and effort for both buyers and suppliers.  

Suppliers should use the eSourcing portal to: 

• register and express an interest in a procurement opportunity 
• participate in tendering activities, downloading, completing and submitting proposals 
• support contract management activities during the contract period 

As a potential supplier to LCRCA you should register to use The Chest to: 

• view opportunities to tender
• submit responses

For help with registration, use the support links on The Chest portal. 

LCRCA adheres to the Public Services (Social Value) Act which requires public bodies who procure services to consider social, economic and environmental benefits in procurements. This means we use our procurement and contract management activities to encourage positive social value behaviour and deliver additional value that benefits our citizens, communities or the environment. 

Our approach is to include specific social value criteria in our Evaluation methodology to all procurement over £100,000 in value. We select relevant and proportionate themes and policy outcomes, and measurable metrics related to Social Value to test during the Procurement in order to ensure delivery during the life of contract. 

Terms and conditions 

Suppliers should always refer to the specific terms and conditions issued as part of a procurement tender exercise. 

The terms and conditions used by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority when undertaking a commercial transaction with suppliers will be appropriate to the sourcing route, i.e. Framework terms and conditions for call-offs and NEC, JCT etc. 

Modern Slavery is a crime and a violation of our fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking. 

Across the world vulnerable people are being exploited by modern slavery every day. Forced labour affects millions of people, including many right here in the UK. Modern slavery occurs all around us but is usually kept out of sight. That is why we are taking action in Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to ensure that UK taxpayers money is not being used to fund this evil activity in our supply chains. 

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority shall take appropriate corrective action with Suppliers found to be in breach of Modern Slavery principles. 

Read the government’s 2021 to 2022 modern slavery statement. 

LCRCA follows the government prompt payment policy to tackle late and unfair payment practices in both public and private sectors. LCRCA aims to pay 90% of undisputed and valid invoices from SMEs within 5 days. Additionally, 100% of all undisputed and valid invoices should be paid within 30 days. 

The Procurement Act mandates that all contracts include a 30-day payment term, which is implied in contracts even if not explicitly written into them and applies to the entire supply chain. This term also extends to any subcontracts that are wholly or substantially meant to contribute to the performance of a public contract. Invoices will have to be paid within 30 days of receipt, not when they are validated. 

Where the supplier lets a subcontract in connection with a LCRCA contract, they must: 

• include similar prompt payment terms in the preceding paragraph in respect of payments to the subcontractor 
• pay the subcontractor invoices within 30 days

Procurement complaints process 

If you are making a complaint regarding our procurement activities, please provide as much detail as you can. 

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 us, you can be assured that your comments will not be allowed to prejudice the fair treatment of your tender. 

We will acknowledge all properly submitted complaints in writing within 5 working days and we will aim to respond within 10 working days. 

How to complain 

Make your complaint in writing to the Procurement Lead (shown in the tender documentation) and our Head of Procurement, Steven Linden. Complaints should be directed to Tenders@liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk.  

What happens when I make a complaint? 

All complaints shall be reviewed by the Head of Procurement. If we made a mistake we will apologise and take any corrective action we can. We monitor and report on the complaints we have received. 

We try to learn from them to improve our competitive processes and intend also that our complaints handling process reflects best practice and opportunities for learning. 

Procurement Review Unit (PRU)  

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