Supplying SOCA
This section looks at doing business with SOCA and the commercial principles by which we operate.
Commercial principles
SOCA’s commercial team advises all parts of the agency on the procurement of goods and services. This ensures we comply with our policies, the law and public sector guidelines.
We always aim for strict professionalism and impartiality. European Union (EU) procurement legislation governs both the procurement process and our commercial objectives, which are:
"to deliver best practice commercial services and solutions in support of the SOCA strategic imperatives. By providing the right product, in the right place, to the right quality and quantity, at the right time, we will deliver value for money and improvements to customer service and supplier performance."
We are further guided by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the Treasury on the application of best practice, value for money and collaborative procurement activity.
What we buy
Our key areas of commercial activity are:
- Information communication technology – including hardware, software and associated services.
- Professional and business services – including consultancy, legal, audit, financial, human resources, plus learning and development. Also contractor, interim and temporary staff resources.
- Estates, logistics and facilities management – including equipping and refurbishing buildings, plus general maintenance and hygiene services.
- General goods and services – including stationery, office services, business travel and accommodation.
- Specialist goods and services – including those relating to law enforcement.
Competitive bids
All procurement needs are open to competitive bids, unless there are compelling reasons why this is impossible. Where a single tender is used, this is authorised at a senior level and the details are reported centrally to the Home Office and National Audit Office.
Where possible, we collaborate with other government bodies and use framework agreements when putting out tenders. This means we can get better terms, and saves us both time and money.
Where there are no suitable framework arrangements in place, we advertise all requirements above a value level set by the European Union in the supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
We also use the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) Bravo Solutions e-Sourcing portal to advertise opportunities from OGC framework contracts and to conduct formal OJEU tender exercises.
e-Procurement
In addition to using Bravo Solutions, we are introducing a purchase to pay system across SOCA. This will be internally focused initially, but in time it should provide a direct electronic interface to our suppliers as well.
Find out more now
If you would like to find out more about supplying SOCA, please email us
To find out more about SOCA go to About us