Below-threshold China purchases: notice rules
For a notifiable below-threshold goods contract, targeted quotation requests need no tender notice if there is no other advertising. Public advertising requires a tender notice first; entering into the contract requires a contract details notice even after private quotes. Cambridge China Bridge can help prepare the sourcing brief.
Check the buyer and notice threshold
Use this guide for goods purchases being handled under the Procurement Act below-threshold regime. Ask the procurement team to confirm that the purchase is a regulated below-threshold contract before choosing the notice route. The supplied import guide does not cover public procurement notices.
The notice threshold is £30,000 including VAT for a council and £12,000 including VAT for an NHS trust or NHS foundation trust. Equality counts: a regulated below-threshold contract at the relevant amount is notifiable. These are notice thresholds, not the upper limits defining a below-threshold purchase. Ask procurement to confirm the estimated contract value rather than using the factory's goods price alone.
Targeted quotation requests can stay private
No below-threshold tender notice is required when the authority requests quotes, proposals or tenders from targeted individual suppliers or a closed group of pre-selected suppliers, provided it does not advertise the procurement elsewhere. Sending a request directly to Cambridge China Bridge can therefore use this route, subject to the authority's own policies and procedures.
Record the invited suppliers and how the request was distributed. Give suppliers a clear specification, delivery destination and acceptance criteria. Use our guides to briefing a sourcing agent and comparing Chinese supplier quotes for the sourcing work behind the request.
Publish centrally before public advertising
If the authority intends to advertise a notifiable below-threshold contract, it must first publish a below-threshold tender notice on the central digital platform. A public opportunity on a local website, procurement portal or in a newspaper is not the same as a targeted quotation request.
The tender notice must allow a reasonable submission period, with the same period for all suppliers. Before making an opportunity public, have the procurement team confirm that the central notice is published and that the specification, response instructions and deadline agree across the documents.
Publish contract details after entering the contract
For every notifiable below-threshold contract, the authority must publish a contract details notice on the central digital platform as soon as reasonably practicable after entering into the contract. This includes a purchase following a quote from a single supplier and an award under a framework. Private quotation requests do not remove this later duty.
For ordinary goods purchases, the guidance says this will usually mean within 30 days for central government authorities, including NHS trusts, and within 90 days for other authorities, including councils. These are guidance expectations: the legal duty remains publication as soon as reasonably practicable. Record the contract entry date and assign responsibility for publication.
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Prepare a sourcing file that supports publication
Before accepting a quotation, agree who the contracting supplier will be and distinguish that supplier from the Chinese manufacturer. Keep the accepted specification, quotation, delivery scope and contract entry date together. Ask the procurement team which supplier and contract details it needs for the notice.
Cambridge China Bridge has its own staff in China and can help assemble factory information for the purchasing file. Keep factory checks separate from the authority's notice decision, and use comparing Chinese supplier quotes to make the commercial scope clear.
Frequently asked questions
Must a council advertise every below-threshold purchase?
No. Targeted quotation requests need no below-threshold tender notice if there is no other advertising. A notifiable contract still needs a contract details notice after entry.
What is the NHS trust below-threshold notice limit?
£12,000 including VAT under the current Act regime, including NHS foundation trusts. For councils, it is £30,000 including VAT. These notice thresholds include contracts at the stated amount.
Can we advertise on our council website first?
For a notifiable below-threshold contract, publish the below-threshold tender notice on the central digital platform before advertising the opportunity elsewhere.
Do we publish contract details after a single quote?
Yes, if the contract is notifiable. Publish as soon as reasonably practicable after entering into it. For ordinary goods purchases, guidance usually expects NHS trusts within 30 days and councils within 90 days.