This service has been designed to support Branch Treasurers and Branch Secretaries in the purchase of goods and services on behalf of UNISON branches.

Our objectives are to achieve financial and operational efficiencies, embed responsible/ethical procurement and share procurement best practice.

We are establishing preferred supplier arrangements and framework agreements so that you can buy with confidence. Using our arrangements will mean that you do not need to spend time sourcing suppliers, carrying out due diligence checks, negotiating pricing and contract terms etc. You will need to determine your individual branch requirements, but our suppliers can help you where you need additional advice on this. We will also build guidance on specific categories and items to provide you with additional support.

In the resources area you will find toolkits and guidance to support you. It’s not possible for us to have preferred suppliers or agreements that cover everything that you may buy so this guidance will help you where we do not have preferred supplier arrangements/frameworks in place.

The procurement service is being developed on a phased basis so we will continue add to supplier arrangements and guidance. Your feedback is important to us so we can prioritise and develop the service in line with the needs of branches.

Contact Us

Please contact us at b.procurement@unison.co.uk.

Contact us via our Freshdesk Enquiry Form

About us

The UNISON Procurement team is a team of procurement professionals, with many years’ combined experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. A number of us are qualified or part qualified through the professional body for procurement and supply professionals, the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) and we are committed to keeping up to date with best practice and current procurement issues.

What are the benefits of using the branch procurement service?

Save you time – we’ve carried out the procurement work so you don’t have to source suppliers for commonly purchased goods and services, so you can concentrate on supporting members.

Good customer support and relationship– combined branch spend/ volume means our suppliers value the overall relationship with UNISON compared to placing one-off orders with suppliers and this gives us a better relationships and leverage with suppliers.

Pre agreed terms and conditions – we’ve negotiated and agreed terms and conditions with the suppliers so you don’t need to renegotiate terms.

Competitive pricing – by aggregating demand we can obtain lower pricing.

Supplier Due Diligence – we’ve carried out due diligence checks to ensure the suppliers are suitable and can meet the requirements to provide quality goods and services and can supply to all branch locations. We monitor and manage the suppliers.

UNISON Policy compliance – the suppliers comply with UNISON policy and ethical standards.

Responsible Procurement and Sustainability impact – we build environmental and social considerations into decisions to seek to minimise UNISON’s negative impact.

No credit check issues – we work with the suppliers to overcome their internal processes to ensure UNISON branches are recognised as entities and can set up accounts without credit check issues.