Procurement at DFID

Details of our purchasing arrangements and information for those looking to become a Supply Partner or contractor.

This information page was withdrawn on

The Department for International Development (DFID) was replaced by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in September 2020. This DFID page is no longer current. Instead, see FCDO procurement.


As part of the UK Government response to COVID-19, the International Development Secretary has issued a letter to DFID Supply Partners to explain how we will support them to continue to deliver UK Aid programmes.

Details of DFID’s commercial strategy and information for those looking to become a Supply Partner or contractor.

How to become a Supply Partner

Supply Partner portal

Register on DFID’s Supply Partner Portal

To use the supply partner portal you must register and complete a company profile. Access is then provided through a username and password. Full user guidance for the new portal can be found here:

Funding awards and opportunities

  • Details of early market engagements and other events can be found on our Calendar of Engagement Events for 2020 (PDF, 160 KB, 1 page), which is updated with upcoming dates regularly
  • You can also hear about news and opportunities through our Twitter account, please follow @DFIDProcurement
  • Our Commercial Pipeline (PDF, 193 KB, 12 pages) highlights opportunities from 2019-2021 and this will be updated quarterly
  • Details of contracts we have awarded can be viewed on the Contracts Finder for Central Government. This enables organisations to search for information about contracts with the government and its agencies.

To reduce duplication, DFID works closely with other UK government departments where appropriate for example; The Department for International Trade (DIT) through its Aid Funded Business service. DIT also list hundreds of opportunities every month in more than 40 sectors worldwide. Register for updates for export opportunities.

Frameworks

Framework Agreement Start date Expiry date Number of suppliers Comments
Global Evaluation Framework (GEFA) 12 Sept 2016 11 Sept 2020 20 suppliers Framework available to other Government Departments
Expert Advisory Call Down Service (EACDS) 1 Sept 2016 31 Oct 2020 3 lead suppliers Framework available to other Government Departments
International Multi Disciplinary Programme (IMDP) 1 May 2019 30 April 2021 22 lots, up to 15 suppliers per lot Framework available to other Government Departments
Generalist Economic Development (GEDF) 1 Feb 2019 31 Jan 2021 13 suppliers Framework available to other Government Departments
Independent Monitoring and Process Evaluation (IMPERFA) 15 April 2019 14 April 2021 12 lots, 3-5 suppliers per lot Framework available to other Government Departments

DFID procurement: current frameworks

DFID Terms and Conditions of Contract

Prior to tendering for a DFID Contract tendering organisations should ensure that they are able to fully comply with DFID’s DFID Standard Terms and Conditions of Contract (PDF, 62.7 MB, 94 pages) , which includes DFID Supply Partner Code of Conduct (PDF, 7.45 MB, 16 pages) . These are also available on the Supply Partner portal.

If you are unable to comply with any of the terms, you should raise a clarification question during the tender process. Failure to accept our terms during the tender may invalidate your bid.

DFID’s contract Terms and Conditions are periodically reviewed to ensure they are reflective of new policy and legislative requirements. Please refer to the Summary of the August 2018 terms and conditions updates (PDF, 454 KB, 1 page) for a guide to key changes.

DFID policies

DFID has robust policies and processes in place to ensure we obtain maximum impact from UK Aid funds. The guidance documents below outline DFID’s internal processes, which we expect organisations to adhere to and have in place, as well as operate similar policies and processes throughout their delivery chain.

How DFID pay supply partners

All central government departments are required to pay 90% of undisputed invoices within 5 days. You need to be aware of the correct procedures involved to achieve this.

As part of our Purchase to Pay Policy all invoices must contain a valid Purchase Order and should be sent directly to Accounts Payable via our e-invoicing initiative. Please see Supplier Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 588 KB, 2 pages) for more information and criteria.

Supply Partners must send invoices directly to: e-invoicing@dfid.gov.uk

Any queries should be directed to: Central helpdesk :FinOpsSupplierQuery@dfid.gov.uk

For prompt payment statistics please see our DFID payment performance.

Paying your subcontractors

Where you use sub-contractors for the performance of their contract with DFID, you are required to pay the sub-contractor invoices within 30 days.

On 29 November 2018, Oliver Dowden, Minister for Implementation for the Cabinet Office, announced a new policy which will require bidders (during the selection process) to answer a series of questions about their supply chain management and tracking systems, which will include providing details about payment practices, processes and performance including the percentage of invoices paid within 60 days across both their private and public sector business. Supply Partners who are unable to demonstrate that they have systems in place that are effective and ensure a fair and responsible approach to payment of their supply chain may be excluded from bidding.

You can read more about this change in an open letter to all current and potential supply partners regarding new measures to ensure 'prompt payment' (PDF, 256 KB, 2 pages).

Our Commercial vision

DFID Commercial Vision (MS PowerPoint Presentation, 338 KB) defines the aims of our organisation and sets out the steps we are taking to achieve this.

Annual Procurement and Commercial Report

DFID’s second Annual Procurement and Commercial Report meets our commitment from DFID’s Supply Partner Review in October 2017 to place more commercial information in the public domain. It summarises key aspects of DFID’s procurement and commercial performance and that of our strategic supply partners, complementing the information contained in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts. It is accompanied by an open letter to DFID supply partners (PDF, 254 KB, 1 page).

Improving opportunities for small and medium enterprises

DFID’s focus on improving its business opportunities, awareness and facilitating SME access to its tenders have generated a consistent growth in SME spend. DFID is fully committed to the long-term government strategy to increase the SME supply base and to ensure inclusivity for organisations that have traditionally found routes to accessing DFID work difficult for a variety of reasons. Our new Small to Medium Enterprise Action Plan (PDF, 801 KB, 17 pages) outlines how we continue to support SMEs and sets out three main areas of focus:

  • SME Opportunities – improving the visibility and accessibility of our funding opportunities and how we communicate them
  • Continual Improvement – applying best practice, supporting compliance and opening up opportunities
  • SME Engagement with DFID and large Supply Partners – developing a strong market engagement programme, reducing barriers to working with DFID and improving links between SMEs and our large prime Supply Partners

For further information SME’s can contact our dedicated SME Engagement team via email at SMEengagement@DFID.GOV.uk.

Supply Partner Compliance

Supply Partners should refer to our Supplier Partner Handbook (PDF, 565 KB, 30 pages) and Supply Partner Compliance Guidance (PDF, 1.47 MB, 17 pages), designed to guide all Supply Partner(s) through the steps required to respond efficiently and consistently to the Code of Conduct and to upload the required documentation.

Supply Partners may also find it helpful to refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 450 KB, 32 pages) document where we have set out common Code compliance queries and responses from the Compliance Team.

Following feedback (PDF, 5.13 MB, 9 pages) we have reviewed the Commercial Cost template. We have simplified the Commercial cost template (PDF, 1.09 MB, 18 pages) and will tailor where possible to synchronise with the tender it accompanies. There remains simply one separate Eligible Cost Policy (PDF, 1020 KB, 12 pages) that is focused wholly on cost eligibility.

If you have any further questions on our Supply Partner guidance or any of the supporting documentation, please contact suppliercompliance@dfid.GOV.uk

Contact Us

For further information SME’s can contact our dedicated SME Engagement team via email at SMEengagement@DFID.GOV.uk

For specific questions that you would like to ask the DFID commercial team about any aspect of our procurement processes, please write to us at supplierengagement@dfid.GOV.uk

For queries regarding the Supply Partner Portal please write to us at supplierportalenquiries@dfid.GOV.uk