The objective of the Purchasing Team is to provide commercial support to internal customers in the sourcing of suppliers, negotiations and ongoing management of such contracts and agreements.

Much of this activity is therefore team-based, involving purchasing team, internal customers and frequently a "user group", formed from the wider community of users within the company.

Supplier Selection and Awarding of Contracts
Once a specification has been formulated, prospective suppliers are selected through analysis of their financial, commercial and / or technical capabilities.

Contracts are awarded through competitively based selection processes, most commonly in the form of tendering or quotation procedures.

Although exact criteria will vary on a case by case basis, proposals will always be assessed on cost, service, commercial and technical requirements.