What is the procurement process?

Updated: 15th September 2025

Our supply chain process is rigorous at both a national and local level to make sure each service provides value for money and can be maintained for the long-term and in line with rising regulatory standards in areas like building safety and health and safety. 

We operate a multi-stage process:  

1. Registration

To register as an approved FirstPort supplier, businesses or sole traders must have a SafeContractor ‘Safety Schemes in Procurement’ accreditation from the Health and Safety Executive, pass the relevant credit checks, and provide proof of the necessary trade qualifications. This is a base-level requirement, with further assessments made for specialist trades or services as needed.   

2. Tendering

Depending on the nature of the work, jobs are tendered to multiple approved suppliers and to suppliers that have been nominated by homeowners:  

• For approved suppliers (these can be national or local scale), pricing is agreed through a competitive tender process, with these prices locked for as long as possible to benefit homeowners. Proposed prices are compared against the existing rates, and we perform wider research to determine the average cost within the UK for the trade or service being provided. If any supplier is charging higher than the average, we negotiate with them to bring this down. As the pricing is locked for the duration of the framework, this protects homeowners from increases due to unforeseen circumstances, such as increases in inflation.
• We also carry out ad-hoc benchmarking. For example, if we identify a supplier charging lower rates than an existing approved FirstPort supplier. We then approach the approved supplier to ask them to match the cheaper rates that have been identified.

3. Ongoing review

Operational staff regularly review supplier performance. Where suppliers are failing to meet the expected standards agreed at the tender stage, they are given the opportunity to improve their performance. If no improvements are seen, they are removed from the job or may be removed from our supply chain.