I recently bought a new Brompton through the Cycle to Work (that link no longer exists!) scheme at Imperial College. As described on that page the procedure is fairly simple. If you are eligible you contact a participating bicycle shop (I used Stows in Slough) and they provide you with a written quote which you hand to the Sports people in the Sherfield building (this can be done by e-mail). After that you have to sign the purchase hire agreement, which is ready a few days after handing in the quote (I saw them in person for that in Sherfield.). Then there is a little wait for the voucher. Again I picked this up a week later and went to Stows who handed me my shiny new Brompton (actually not that shiny as it has matt paint). For the next twelve months College will deduct 1/12 of the total purchase price form my monthly pre-tax pay. And in a year's time the bike will be mine after paying a small charge. From choosing the bike to actually receiving it took less than a month.
