Working with suppliers

We welcome interest from suppliers who share our values and are committed to making a positive difference and believe that strong supplier relationships contribute directly to better outcomes for the people we support.

We seek suppliers who go beyond service delivery and trusted partners who understand and support our mission.

We spend public and charitable funds on behalf of the communities we serve. That means we hold ourselves and our suppliers to high standards of probity, value for money and ethical conduct. When working with us, suppliers can expect:

• Clear and transparent procurement processes
• Timely communication throughout any tender or quotation exercise
• Fair evaluation based on published criteria
• Prompt payment in line with our payment terms
• We expect all suppliers to uphold our values, comply with relevant legislation, and demonstrate a commitment to social value, equality, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability.

Our supplier code of conduct outlines our expectations for suppliers working with Action for Children.

We apply the following thresholds to determine how we source goods, services and works. These exist to ensure proportionate, competitive and auditable purchasing decisions.

These thresholds are reviewed periodically and are subject to change. Specific funding requirements from grant providers may impose additional conditions that supersede these thresholds.

When a procurement opportunity arises, we may advertise it on our eTendering portal Mercell (EU Supply), or by direct invitation. To help us work efficiently, any suppliers we use are formally invited to register on Mercell (EU Supply), If you would like to express an interest in future opportunities, you can register on the portal for free. You will then be able to view upcoming opportunities with us.

We actively seek suppliers who can demonstrate:

• Relevant experience and capability to deliver the required goods or services
• Financial stability appropriate to the value and risk of the contract
• Commitment to social value, including employment opportunities, community benefit and reduced environmental impact
• Compliance with all applicable legislation, including safeguarding, data protection, modern slavery and equality obligations

Please only accept requests for goods or services that are supported by an official Action for Children purchase order (PO). Suppliers must not start work until an approved PO is in place that reflects the goods or services required and must quote Action for Children’s PO number on all despatch and delivery notes.

We operate a No PO, No Pay policy. Invoices will only be processed for payment where the details exactly match the PO and include the correct Action for Children PO number. If you have not received a PO, please contact the Action for Children representative who requested your services before proceeding.

Unless agreed in advance, AfC’s standard payment terms is 30 days from receipt of a valid, undisputed invoice, quoting Action for Children’s Purchase Order that has been emailed to [email protected].