Become a supplier
We’re always interested in hearing from suppliers who share our values and want to make a positive difference in our communities.
Whether you’re a local business, social enterprise, charity or national organisation, we’d like to hear from you if you can help us deliver great services, provide value for money and create long-lasting community benefit.
This page explains how to register your organisation and be considered for future procurement opportunities.
Our approach to procurement
We see procurement as more than buying goods and services.
The choices we make about who we work with help shape the quality of our services, the strength of local communities and the value we deliver for our customers.
When we buy goods, services or works, we aim to:
Achieve the best possible value for our customers and communities
Make sure procurement processes are fair, open and transparent
Work with ethical and responsible suppliers
Generate social value through our spending
Support local businesses and local economic growth wherever possible
Build positive, long-term relationships with suppliers who share our values
We welcome interest from organisations of all sizes, including small businesses, charities, community organisations and social enterprises. If you’ve never worked with a public sector organisation before, we’d still like to hear from you.
We’ll also look for opportunities to create wider social value through our contracts, including supporting local employment, skills, community benefit and environmental sustainability.
You can find out more about our approach in our Procurement Strategy.
How supplier registration works
To make sure all suppliers are treated fairly and consistently, we only accept supplier registrations and expressions of interest through our procurement systems.
We cannot accept supplier registrations through direct emails, telephone calls or approaches to individual colleagues.
Using our procurement systems helps create a transparent process and ensures suppliers can be considered fairly when opportunities arise.
Step 1: Register on the Central Digital Platform (CDP), Find a Tender
The Procurement Act 2023 introduced new rules designed to make public procurement more open, transparent and accessible.
One of these changes was the creation of the Central Digital Platform (CDP) Find a Tender, which allows suppliers to register their details once and use them across multiple public sector procurement opportunities.
If you’d like to work with organisations covered by the Procurement Act, we recommend registering and keeping your information up to date.
Register on the Central Digital Platform
The registration process is managed by the UK Government.
Step 2: Register on our In-tend procurement portal
Our In-tend procurement portal is the main way for suppliers to register an interest in working with us.
By registering, you can:
- Tell us about your organisation
- Keep your company information up to date
- Receive notifications about relevant opportunities
- Access procurement documents
- Submit responses to procurement exercises
Register on our In-tend portal
The Calico Group – Electronic Tendering Site – Home
Once you’ve completed your registration, you’ll receive a confirmation email from the system.
Registering your organisation helps us understand what you do and means you’ll be ready if relevant opportunities become available in the future. It doesn’t guarantee work, but it does make sure you’re visible through the right process.
If you need help with either registration process, please contact procurement@calico.org.uk and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Why we’re asking suppliers to register on both systems
The Procurement Act 2023 aims to make public procurement simpler, fairer and more transparent.
Registering on both our In-tend portal and the Central Digital Platform means you’ll be ready to hear about opportunities and participate in future procurement exercises.
Together, these systems help reduce duplication, improve transparency and make the process easier for both suppliers and buyers.
Thank you for your interest
We’re always keen to hear from organisations that can help us deliver better outcomes for our customers and communities.
Thank you for your interest in working with us.
If you have any questions, please contact: procurement@calico.org.uk
