Procurement
Our Procurement team, based in the Finance Department, helps the University meet its objectives and deliver the best results in the most cost-effective way.
The team can advise you on dealing with suppliers and sourcing the goods and services you need to do your job.
Document list
The team has a number of forms and templates available to help you.
Expenses
Expenses paid as part of Kent business should be claimed for reimbursement as soon as possible. Petty cash must not be used to reimburse individual expenses.
The use of personal monies should be minimised where possible by the use of a University credit card or by arranging for the supplier to invoice Kent directly.
Document list
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New supplier form .XLS
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Instructions for new UK suppliers .DOC
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Processing orders from overseas suppliers .DOC
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Procedure for a purchasing card .PDF
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Credit card limit increase request form .PDF
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Business Justification for Expenditure .PDF
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Supplier - code of conduct .PDF
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Travel Booker Authorisation Form (International Travel) .DOC
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Key travel exception authorisation form .DOC
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Single source non-compliance request form .DOC
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Mutual non-disclosure agreement .DOC
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Goods and services - terms and conditions .PDF
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Consultancy - terms and conditions .PDF
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Consultancy (Academic} - terms and conditions .PDF
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Procurement project plan - non-property .DOC
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Procurement plan - construction and works .DOC
Document list
Legal requirements and governance
Information compliance
Data protection
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation came into force in
May 2018 and replaced the Data Protection Act. Basic principles for looking
after personal data remain the same, but there are stricter standards and the
maximum penalty has increased to €20 million.
Each school or department will have one or more Information Custodians (ICs), who work with the Information Compliance team to improve protection of personal data in line with the GDPR.
All staff should complete a GDPR online training module.
All members of staff should familiarise themselves with the following Information Compliance policies:
By following these policies and completing their
mandatory training, staff will be better able to ensure the University complies
with its legal obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation, the
Data Protection Act 2018 and other associated legislation.
The Information Compliance team is developing tools to help schools and departments with GDPR, including:
- Information Asset Register, to help identify, risk assess and monitor manual or electronic collections of personal data
- Handling a data breach
- Writing a privacy notice
- Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) guidance
- Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) template
Freedom of information
Key contact
For queries on data protection, email our Information Compliance team.
Records management
University constitution and management
The University of Kent is a self-governing autonomous institution set up by Royal Charter in 1965. The Charter sets out our overall constitution, with statutes and ordinances detailing how the University operates in practice.
Our key governing bodies are:
- the Council (and its sub-committees), which has overall responsibility for governance
- the Senate, overseeing our academic work
- the Executive Group (EG), responsible for day-to-day running of the University
- the Senior Leadership Forum, comprising senior managers
Copyright
Copyright is now an unavoidable and important aspect of university life, particularly now we work and study online. Copyright law puts restrictions on the use of creative works, but also allows for uses through the use of licences and copyright exceptions.
Our copyright support service will help you navigate your way through copyright law and help manage the risk of financial or reputational damage
Planning and management
Our Financial Planning and Analysis Office supports schools and departments on issues relating to budgeting and financial planning. If you have a financial query, you should talk to your school/department financial administrator first.
We can help you learn more about:
- our Resource Allocation Model (RAM)
- financial planning, including Planning Round, budget setting, financial year-end and budget meetings
- plans for new taught programmes
- budget commentary
- agreed transfer of budget from one heading to another, or 'virements'
- training, for example, in RAM and Agresso.
Insurance
Our insurance protection includes:
We can also help with:
- claiming
- policy excess
- employers’ liability
- producing evidence.
Key contact
For help with a specific insurance issue, email or phone the Insurance Office on ext 4553.
Taxes
The VAT team aims to give staff an overview and guidance on Value Added Tax (VAT). VAT is a complex area, especially for universities.
Get in touch if you have a query not included in our guidance below.
Document list
Key contact
For help and advice on specific tax issues, email or phone the VAT Support team on ext 7487.
Risk management
Our risk and financial compliance team is helping to develop and implement the University’s risk management strategy.
A Risk Management Working Party has been set up to consider reforms to the University’s Risk Management Process and make recommendations to the Executive Group.
A Risk Champion Network has also been formed to disseminate good practice across our campuses.
Document list
Key contact
For more help and advice, email or phone the Risk and Compliance Office on ext 16481.