National Library of Scotland procurement

Information on procurement procedures for suppliers and contractors.

As a public funded body, the National Library of Scotland aims to procure goods, services and construction-related activities sustainably, ethically, fairly and transparently in line with European Union and Scottish Government regulations.

The form of procurement will vary depending on the nature, cost and complexity of the item(s) to be purchased.

Our procurement strategy document (PDF) (78 KB: 9 pages) sets the process we intend to adopt for regulated procurement, a requirement under section 15 of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, and covers an initial period of two years with review annually up to a period of five years.

It outlines our key processes for the development and continued improvement of internal procurement systems, processes and procedures that are proportionate and relevant to our requirement and supports our business needs.

It outlines our key processes for the development and continued improvement of internal procurement systems, processes and procedures that are proportionate and relevant to our requirement and supports our business needs.

At the National Library of Scotland we will procure our goods, services and works in a way that minimises the impact on the environment where it is practical and economically viable. In line with Scottish Government policy of increasing sustainable economic growth, we will seek savings in energy, reduce waste, recycle and promote a sustainable approach to the way we conduct our business.

We have set ourseslves a challenging target of a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Following the core principals of reuse, remanufacture and recycling to minimise waste streams and implementing sustainable procurement procedures to ensure goods and services we procure comply with its efficiency targets.

We are also committed to ensuring that the procurement of goods, services and construction works, bringing improvements to the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the local and wider community, reduce inequality, facilitate engagement with SMEs, third sector bodies plus supported business and promote innovation by doing things differently.

In June 2010 we demonstrated our commitment to good procurement practices by signing up to the Suppliers' Charter.

At the National Library of Scotland we support the aims, vision and values of Scottish Government Single Point of Enquiry:

• The Single Point of Enquiry (SPoE) has been set up by Scottish Government Scottish Procurement Division to provide suppliers to public sector or publicly funded bodies with an impartial point of contact where they can ask for advice or raise concerns about public procurement practices in Scotland.
• The Single Point of Enquiry aims to:
  • Provide businesses with advice on procurement legislation and practices
  • Seek resolution of disputes regarding procurement practice
  • Help improve the consistency of public procurement processes applied by public and publicly funded bodies in Scotland.
• Its vision is to encourage and establish best practice in procurement within the Scottish public sector and publicly funded bodies by working with suppliers, the business community and purchasers to address issues of concern.
• It has a number of values, namely to operate with impartiality, fairness and objectivity and promote a culture of openness and transparency in relation to procurement practice.

We have adopted the national public contracts advertising portal set up by the Scottish Government for advertising all contract opportunities for goods, services or construction related activities.

You can view our Public Contracts Scotland 'Buyer Profile'.

Supplier registration is free and registered suppliers can choose to receive email alerts about relevant contract and tendering opportunities as they become available.

Our published list of public contracts awarded over £50,000 for goods and service and £2,000,000 for works can also be located on Public Contracts Scotland advertising portal. View our contracts register of public contracts.

As part of our strategy to improve access, we will hold a third of our collections in digital format by 2025. We are interested in receiving proposals for collaborative digitisation projects that can help us share world-class materials with wider audiences. Please email procurement@nls.uk to discuss collaborative digitisation.

We are currently working with collaborative partners on the digitisation of House of Lord Papers, the John Murray Archive, and maps.

Future commercial opportunities may also be advertised on this page as well as the Library's Buyer Profile on Public Contracts Scotland.

We have three standard conditions of contract for purchase of goods and services available to download in Portable Document Format (PDF). They incorporate a clause requiring payment of valid contractor and sub-contractor invoices within 30 days throughout the supply chain of public contracts.

• LTC1: Conditions of contract: supply of goods (and any related services) (PDF) (546 KB; 20 pages)
• LTC2: Conditions of contract: purchase of services (PDF) (407 KB; 19 pages)
• LTC3: Conditions of contract: supply of goods (PDF) (453 KB: 17 pages)
• LTC4: Freelance contract agreement (PDF) (221 KB; 12 pages)

If you have any questions about National Library procurement, contact us by emailing enquiries@nls.uk.

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