What we spend and how we spend it

Last updated: 11/09/2024

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is the newly merged Trust comprising University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and Weston Area Health NHS Trust. It was formed on 1 April 2020. Information on this page will be provided as it becomes available.

Historic information relating to University Hospitals Bristol is available on the what we spend and how we spend it page.
Historic information relating to Weston Area Health Trust is available on the what we spend and how we spend it page.

Procurement

Procurement is via the Bristol and Weston Purchasing Consortium. For further information on the services they provide, please visit the BWPC website.

The University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) has a procurement and tendering process in place which governs the procurement of services over a certain value.

The procurement of all contracts by or on behalf of UHBW shall comply with UHBW’s Standing Orders. European Union Directives on public sector purchasing promulgated by the Department of Health and Social Care must also be complied with.

UHBW shall ensure that competitive tenders are invited for the supply of goods, materials and manufactured articles and for the rendering of services including all forms of management consultancy services and for the design, construction and maintenance of building and engineering works. Where the Trust elects to invite tenders for the supply of healthcare the Standing Orders shall apply as far as they are applicable to the tendering procedure.

The following instructions shall apply to any purchase over £25,000. The principles in this instruction apply equally to the separate tendering procedures operated by the Estates Department (for capital contracts) and the Procurement Department. Formal tendering procedures may be waived by the chief executive, where the supply is proposed under special arrangements negotiated by the Department of Health and Social Care, in which event the said special arrangements must be complied with.

Contracts above specified thresholds must be advertised and awarded in accordance with EC and World Trade Organisation rules on public procurement and comply with the White Paper on Standards, Quality and International Competitiveness (CMND 8621). The Bristol & Weston NHS Purchasing Consortium will advise on these requirements. 13.4 Any capital project must be managed in accordance with the NHS Capital Investment Manual.

Further details of the Procurement and Tendering process can be found in the Standing Financial Instructions.