PURCO SA - Types of Contracts

PURCO SA manages three types of contracts:

1. National Contracts now known as Framework Agreements;

These contracts concluded on behalf of and are accessible by all Members. These umbrella agreements are typically for products and services required by all Members, where the collaborative purchasing influence of the Consortium can be brought to bear. Examples of National contracts include travel, catering, stationery and cleaning supplies.

The framework sets out the conditions under which the goods or services can be purchased throughout the period of the agreement, including terms such as price, quality, quantities and time-scales. A framework agreement offers no guarantee of work to suppliers who secure a place on it; the agreement is simply a formalized contract about the terms that would apply to any order placed during the duration of the agreement. Every time a buyer wants to procure a specific item or service under a framework agreement, a separate contract is established between the purchasing institution and the supplier they have selected from the contracted framework suppliers.

Although winning a place on a framework agreement is no guarantee of work, it significantly improves the supplier’s chances of winning business from PURCO SA Members. Frameworks are beneficial for the PURCO SA buying community; they save Members from the need to issue repeated tenders or negotiate new contracts for common goods, works or services; and they lead to economies of scale, savings and reduced administrative burden

2. Individual contracts

These are concluded on behalf of specific Member institutions and are typically unique to that institution. Examples include construction projects, computer systems development and student transport services.

3. Transversal basis

Wherever possible PURCO SA attempts to negotiate contracts on Transversal basis - enabling a contract negotiated for one institution to be used by other Members without having to renegotiate the agreement from scratch.