PROCUREMENT STRATEGY
2025 - 2030

Executive summary

This Procurement Strategy sets out Abertay University's approach to delivering compliant, sustainable, and value-driven procurement between 2025 and 2030. It aligns with the ambitions of the Abertay Strategy 2025–2030, particularly around enabling student success, research with impact, and civic engagement, while contributing to operational excellence and financial sustainability.

The strategy complies with the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, and supports the ambitions of the Scottish Government's Public Procurement Strategy 2023–2028. It reflects best practice in strategic sourcing, supplier engagement, and workforce development, while strengthening transparency and supporting the University's values of integrity, respect, excellence, and collaboration.

A streamlined procurement team, enabled by digital tools and efficient workflows, is delivering an increased volume of regulated activity, with a continued focus on sustainability, social impact, and value for money. This strategy ensures procurement continues to evolve as a strategic enabler across the institution.

It also directly supports the delivery of the five national outcomes identified in the Scottish Government's Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland:

• Good for business and employees – by promoting Fair Work, SME inclusion, and supplier engagement.
• Good for places and communities – through community benefit clauses and partnerships with local suppliers.
• Good for society – by embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion across our procurement activities.
• Good for the environment – by incorporating sustainability tools and responsible sourcing.
• Good for public services – by ensuring efficient, transparent, and impactful procurement that enables the University's strategic goals.

Strategy

Our procurement approach is founded on the principle of delivering value for money, securing the best combination of cost, quality and efficiency over the life of a contract, while also achieving best value, by maximising social, environmental and economic outcomes in line with the Scottish Model of Procurement.

We recognise that procurement is more than a transactional function; it is a strategic enabler that supports our wider institutional goals. By embedding sustainability, innovation, and ethical considerations into our procurement activity, we aim to achieve responsible outcomes that benefit our university, the community, and the environment.

Our strategy is aligned with the following key objectives:

• Delivering value for money and best value through all procurement decisions
• Enabling effective and efficient procurement practices across the University
• Enhancing sustainability and climate action in line with our net zero targets
• Supporting inclusive economic growth through engagement with SMEs, supported businesses, and social enterprises
• Maintaining compliance with all relevant legislation and good governance practices

This approach supports our commitment to achieving the National Outcomes and contributes meaningfully to the University's Strategic Plan and our Sustainable Development Strategy 2023–2030.

Strategic objectives

• Embed sustainability and Fair Work: We will ensure that all regulated procurements are assessed for environmental impact, community benefits, Living Wage, and ethical sourcing.
• Ensure compliance and transparency: Procurement will be carried out in accordance with all statutory duties, with procedures that uphold equal treatment, non-discrimination, and proportionality.
• Deliver value for money: Through category management, life-cycle costing, and collaboration with sector partners (e.g., APUC), we will maximise public value and minimise risk.
• Promote access and inclusion: Procurement pathways will be simplified, and opportunities advertised transparently to support SME and third sector participation. Where appropriate under non-regulated thresholds, the University will enable direct awards to social enterprises to maximise community value and reduce procurement barriers.
• Strengthen capability: Investment in workforce skills, systems, and guidance will ensure that procurement knowledge is embedded across the institution.

Alignment with University Strategy

Values

This Procurement Strategy reflects and supports the University's values through its principles and practices:

• Inclusive: We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity in all procurement activities. We will promote inclusive supply chains by supporting access to contracts for diverse businesses, including SMEs, supported businesses, and social enterprises. We aim to embed inclusion in our processes, policies, and partnerships.
• Caring: We will treat people, communities, and the planet with respect by embedding ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible practices into our procurement approach. This includes support for Fair Work First, the Living Wage, ethical supply chains, and low carbon purchasing choices.
• Innovative: We will drive continuous improvement in procurement by embracing new ideas, digital solutions, and collaborative frameworks that deliver best value and encourage progressive procurement practices. Our approach will support academic, operational, and environmental innovation across the University.
• Collaborative: We will work across teams, sectors, and with our suppliers to co-create value and support strategic outcomes. Effective partnerships and transparent communication are essential to delivering professional excellence and customer-focused procurement services.

Milestones and key performance indicators

Milestones

• Milestone 1: Final strategy approval and publication – Autumn 2025
• Milestone 2: Annual Procurement Report submitted and published – Q2 2026
• Milestone 3: Procurement Staff Competency Framework Development Plan – Annually Q3
• Milestone 4: Mid-strategy review and PCIP self-assessment – Q1 2027
• Milestone 5: Final review and preparation of 2030+ strategy – Spring 2030

Key performance indicators

Progress will be reviewed annually as part of the University's Annual Procurement Report.

Enablers and dependencies

The successful implementation of this Procurement Strategy is dependent on the following key enablers and interrelated factors:

People Services

• Support alignment of workforce planning and development with procurement needs. Procurement will identify and source appropriate training to ensure staff in procurement roles remain compliant, capable, and professionally up to date.
• Support for professional development, including CIPS qualifications and procurement-specific CPD.
• Embedding inclusive recruitment and Fair Work principles within procurement and supplier engagement.

Finance and Planning

• Close alignment between procurement activity and the University's financial planning cycles.
• Clear processes for budget authorisation, whole-life costing, and benefit tracking.
• Support for financial compliance in contract management and audit readiness.

Digital and IT Services

• Systems that enable end-to-end e-procurement, contract lifecycle management, and data-driven decision-making.
• Integration between APTOS, contract registers, and financial reporting tools.
• Ongoing digital investment aligned to the University's Digital Strategy.

Estates and Facilities

• Collaborative pipeline planning for capital investment and maintenance projects.
• Early engagement with Procurement in project scoping to ensure route-to-market is legally compliant and strategically sound.
• Sustainability requirements are embedded in construction and infrastructure procurement.

Marketing, Communications and External Relations

• Promotion of achievements related to sustainable procurement, social value, and supplier engagement.
• Support for stakeholder communication around procurement policies and legislative change.
• Enabling wider civic and community visibility of the University's procurement impact.

Academic Schools and Faculties

• Early involvement of Procurement in planning stages for significant projects.
• Clear accountability and awareness for staff involved in purchasing decisions, with Procurement providing guidance and ownership of compliant procurement activity.
• Collaboration on market engagement, specification development, and contract performance monitoring.

Sector partners and collaboration

• Ongoing participation in APUC-led initiatives and frameworks to drive efficiency and innovation.
• Engagement with Scottish Government, public sector buyers, and national policy initiatives.
• Adoption of collaborative tools and intelligence sharing to reduce duplication and increase value.

Workforce planning

To ensure we have the right skills, capacity, and structures in place to deliver our strategic ambitions effectively and sustainably, it is important that we consider workforce planning in developing the implementation plans for the refreshed supporting strategies.

Workforce capabilities

• Legal and regulatory knowledge
• Procurement Regulations (Scotland) Act 2014
• Public Contract (Scotland) Regulations 2015
• Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016
• Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) compliance
• Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in procurement practice
• Strategic sourcing and contract management
• Stakeholder engagement and supplier relationship management

Capacity requirements

• The procurement team has been streamlined from 4.0 FTE to 3.5 FTE through efficiency gains in workflow, digital tools and improved procurement planning.
• This change has maintained service levels while increasing workload capacity from 120 to 145 workstreams annually.
• Future resource needs will be reviewed in line with growth in regulated activity, sustainability priorities, and strategic initiatives.
• The current workforce should be analysed by age profile, turnover and skills and a workforce plan agreed with People Services.

Alignment with People Strategy

This strategy is underpinned by the People Strategy, particularly in the areas of:

• Commitment to fair and inclusive recruitment for procurement roles.
• Delivery of CPD and upskilling aligned to institutional training frameworks.
• Staff wellbeing is supported through adequate resource planning and digital enablement.
• Succession planning will ensure resilience in key procurement functions.

Risks and mitigation

Governance

Glossary of terms

• Regulated procurement: Procurement exercises at or above the threshold defined by the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.
• Community benefits: Social or economic benefits included in contracts, such as apprenticeships or local supply chain use.
• Fair Work First: Employment practices that support fair treatment of workers, including paying the Living Wage.
• ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance factors used to assess ethical and sustainable performance.
• Category management: Strategic approach to managing spend in procurement categories to maximise value.

Relevant policies and frameworks

• Abertay Strategy 2025–2030
• Financial Regulations
• People Strategy
• Digital Strategy
• Estates Strategy
• Sustainable Development Strategy
• Sustainable Travel Policy
• Risk Management Framework
• Procurement Manual and Procedures

External reference points

• Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014
• Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015
• Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016
• Modern Slavery Act 2015
• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• Fair Work First Guidance
• Scottish Public Procurement Prioritisation Tool, Sustainability Test, Life Cycle Impact Mapping
• Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland
• Scottish Funding Council Outcome Agreements and Strategic Guidance
• National Procurement Development Framework