Contract guidance
Advice that will help you apply for Wellcome contract opportunities.
Eligibility
We aim to make our contract opportunities open to all organisations, however there will be instances where we provide eligibility criteria based on the specific nature of what we are looking to procure. Please check each opportunity for specific eligibility criteria.
If you require any reasonable adjustments during the application process, please let us know.
We do not contract with suppliers connected to the tobacco industry. For clarity, we define the tobacco industry as any company, entity or organisation (or groups or combinations of the same) whose business other than for an insignificant part (less than 10% of its revenue), is the development, production, promotion, marketing, or sale of tobacco in any country of the world. The term also includes any companies that are a subsidiary or a holding company or affiliate of the above. This also includes E-cigarette companies and non-tobacco related companies which are fully or partially owned by the tobacco industry.
We cannot contract to any countries on the UK government financial sanctions list.
Unless specified on the RFP, all contract opportunities are open to all organisations including individuals.
How to apply
Please send your proposals electronically and refer to the individual RFP documents for specific timelines and response requirements.
If the lead organisation is working with a sub-processor (collaborator), that sub-processor does not have to complete the Third-Party Risk Assessment form.
The lead organisation must however tell Wellcome who is their sub-processor and send us their independent security certificate and/or security audit report for review as required in the Third-Party Risk Assessment form.
We always endeavour to provide feedback to suppliers who make it through to the interview stage. Some panels may also provide feedback at earlier stages, but this is at their discretion.
Budgets and payment
We don’t want your proposal to be limited in scope and ambition. However, there may be cases where a set budget is necessary and if so, we do expect you to submit a proposal that is within that.
This is a contract and not a grant. It should be costed as part of the supplier's budget in order to complete the activity on time and in full.
We can pay in GBP, EUR and USD please ensure this is clear on your proposal.
The main VAT requirement is to account for reverse charge VAT at 20% on any B2B (business to business) services received from overseas. This is to provide a level playing field for all businesses, that is UK VAT is payable on services regardless of where the supplier is based.
UK suppliers will be charged UK VAT at 20% on its services.
Where the supplier is based abroad, no VAT is charged by the supplier but the responsibility to account for VAT is shifted to the recipient, who then accounts for the VAT as if the supply was made in the UK.
What is the difference between a grant and a contract?
A grant is when we fund someone to do something where Wellcome expects to receive nothing in return (except acknowledgement and progress reports).
A contract is when we fund someone to do something where Wellcome expects to receive something in return (such as goods, services, rights or other benefits).
| Grant | Contract | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rights | When we award a grant, we have no right to receive anything back – except acknowledgment of our funding and reports as detailed in the grant conditions. We can require that the grant is spent on the agreed activities, but we can’t direct how those activities are carried out. We can demand repayment if grant money is spent on something else, but not if we simply don’t like the outputs. We can terminate a grant, cancelling any future payments, at any time and for any reason in line with the grant conditions. | When we award a contract, we have the right to receive what we are paying for as specified in the legally binding agreement. Depending on the exact terms, we will be able to require a certain level of quality and punctuality. If the supplier falls short, we may be able to make them do the work again or refund the money; we might also be able to sue for compensation. A contract can be terminated only in accordance with its provisions, which may require us to give a specific notice period or make payments even after termination. |
| Tax | We generally won’t need to pay VAT on a grant. | VAT is added to all UK invoices. Overseas taxes are charged as applicable. |
| Process | Grants are usually awarded as a result of an application process, with appropriate types of review and approval. Most of our grants are awarded under our funding schemes. | Contracts are usually awarded as a result of a procurement exercise. |
Useful documents
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Work with us
We’re seeking expressions of interest to join our Expert Advisors and Facilitators.
Expert advisors: If you have a specialised area in which you can contractually assist our teams in their activities, please complete this form .
Facilitators: if you have expertise in facilitating workshops, producing write-ups of events and other facilitation activities, please complete this form
By completing these forms you consent to be added to our contact database and be contacted by email when new requests for proposals are uploaded to Wellcome's website. There may also be occasions when we contact you about contract opportunities that are not listed on the website.
Contact us
The Procurement team supports Wellcome on all matters relating to procurement. We operate as business partners who provide guidance and run procurement exercises with our stakeholders.
Please do not use this address to submit expressions of interest or proposals. Please refer to the email address provided in the relevant contract opportunity document as to where these should be sent.
