Purchasing and paying

Colleagues, particularly Unpaid Work (UPW) staff and those who administer petty cash, need to be aware of ways of purchasing and paying in the Probation Service.

Please use the Useful Links on this page for more guidance and support on the following:

Government Procurement Cards (GPC) are used for ad-hoc, low value purchasing, such as tools, materials for project in a box, owned UPW vehicle repairs etc. GPC cards for UPW teams are ordered locally for named individuals. Petty cash may be used if GPC cards are not in place.

Fuel cards are used to fuel vehicles owned and leased by the Probation Service. They are predominantly linked to vehicle registrations but can also be used to purchase fuel for lawn mowers.

Petty Cash can be obtained locally by cashing MoJ cheques. It can be delivered to some locations, where this is essential due to the location of bank branches.

Arco can be used to procure UPW clothing items for supervisors and People on Probation, such as Tabards, Polo-shirts, Trousers etc.  UPW teams must contact their regional Corporate Admin Hub to order items unless specified otherwise.

BSC (Business Strategy & Change) Hub will process orders for COVID PPE items. The items listed in this document are free under our Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) agreement.