Buy through the assisted procurement service

Providing high-quality public services relies on smart, efficient procurement. However, many public sector organisations find it tough to dedicate the time and resources needed.

The Assisted Procurement Service is designed to support buyers through running the public procurement process  – so you can focus your resources on other activities such as contract management.

Our experienced team has run tenders across every type of procurement and sector. From building hospital wings through to digital transformation projects, we understand what you’re dealing with and how to help you succeed.

Learn more about the Assisted Procurement Service

What is the Assisted Procurement Service?

The Assisted Procurement Service is a free resource that lets public and third-sector organisations use our commercially experienced team to run their procurements. This helps them free up resources for other priorities.

With £3.3 billion in procurements from 2025 to 2026 alone, we bring ready-made agreements and proven expertise that make the process efficient and stress-free.

You can use this service for common goods or services that are available through the following commercial agreements:

The Assisted Procurement Service may also be available for other agreements if the contract has a total contract value of £20 million or more and you give 3 months notice of your requirement. This gives us time to build it into our pipeline.

As GCA evolves, we aim to continue to enhance this service. 

How the Assisted Procurement Service works

  1. Once we have accepted your request into the Assisted Procurement Service pipeline, our triage team will get in touch.
  2. Our triage team will guide you through the process and work with you to complete the Procurement Strategy Report.
  3. You will then be connected with a dedicated procurement lead based on the specific skills your project needs.

Your procurement lead will:

  • manage communication with bidders 
  • provide a full audit trail for transparency and accountability
  • issue compliant, approved procurement documents
  • manage the supplier clarification period so you do not have to answer or deal with queries
  • manage your evaluation process with your resources, including conducting commercial assessments
  • prepare award recommendation reports
  • prepare and issue all approved contractual documents
  • ensure compliance with all transparency obligations, in line with government policy

The value to you as a buyer

The Assisted Procurement Service has been designed to benefit buyers throughout the process: 

  • your procurement is handled by experienced professionals who know the process inside out
  • our templates and guidance reflect the latest public procurement policy and best practice
  • the entire process is managed digitally, with everything handled through our secure e-Sourcing Portal, which your lead builds and manages for you
  • we manage the supplier clarification process, evaluations and all communication with bidders
  • for transparency and accountability, you’ll get a full audit trail throughout the process and regular updates on progress
  • you’ll be able to focus your resources on other business priorities

There is no charge.

Your role as a buyer

Your procurement lead will work closely with you throughout the Assisted Procurement Service process. To make this partnership work effectively, we’ll need you to:

  • agree the procurement timeline
  • develop and finalise documents
  • approve all documents before publication
  • provide technical clarification answers
  • provide technical evaluators
  • manage post-award contracts

How to get started

To get started with the Assisted Procurement Service, follow the following steps:

Please note: our notice period to request the Assisted Procurement Service is 3 months before you need the procurement process to start.

  1. If your requirement meets the criteria above, get in touch with your GCA account manager through our service desk form at the bottom of this page.
  2. Your account manager may request further information from you to help them add your requirement to the Assisted Procurement Service pipeline. The following documents will be needed from you:
  3. The Assisted Procurement Service Triage Team will then review your requirement and confirm acceptance onto the pipeline with your account manager. We will then get in touch with you closer to the procurement start date.

To get in touch with your account manager or to get more information on our Assisted Procurement Service, please submit the form below and one of our advisors will get back to you.

Since 2021 we’ve completed assisted procurements with a total annual contract value of £23 billion, for customers including NHS trusts, police, and local councils.
“I have been incredibly impressed with the Assisted Procurement Service at GCA. Despite our team having a stop/start approach and limited understanding of how to put out an Invitation to Tender (ITT), our Procurement Lead smoothly and patiently guided the process through, working extremely hard and out of hours to do so. I’m massively grateful – this is really a big step for our programme and their contribution has been essential.”
Deputy Director, Central Government Department
“The support and service we have received from the GCA Assisted Procurement Service team has been exemplary. They have been supportive, professional, knowledgeable, understanding and I feel that they have gone the extra mile to finalise and award our contract. It was a pleasure to work with the team, and I would have no hesitation in asking for their support again.“
Group Deputy Director of Procurement, NHS Trust
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More ways to buy through GCA

Get in touch

To get in touch with your account manager or to get more information on the Assisted Procurement Service, please submit the form below and one of our advisors will get back to you.

Your details

Please give us as much detail as possible, including the agreement name and number

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Glossary

Find explanations for common terms and abbreviations used in public procurement.

Explore our glossary.