CSR is defined as the integration of
business operations and values, whereby the interests of all
stakeholders, customers, employees, the community and the environment
are reflected in the company’s policies and actions.
Commitment
We are committed to:
- Continuous improvement in our
Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy;
- Encouraging our business partners
to strive for matching performance;
- Acting in a socially responsible
way;
- Continually improving our
performance and meeting all relevant legislation;
- Encouraging our staff to be
mindful of the effect of their actions on any natural resource.
Purpose and Aims
- The purpose of the policy is to
make clear to all stakeholders what we mean by CSR and how we
propose to work towards achieving it. The CSR policy applies
throughout all of the Procurement Service and governs our approach
to all our activities;
In implementing this policy we aim to:
- Be responsible;
- Be an exemplar of good practice.
Standards of business conduct
- We recognise that good CSR
embraces all aspects of sustainable development and the way we
affect people through our business operations;
- We will assess which social issues
are of most relevance to the contract and decide at what stage in
the procurement lifecycle this social policy could most effectively
and legally be included;
- We shall operate in a way that
safeguards against unfair business practices;
- We believe that a responsible
approach to developing relationships between companies and the
communities they serve, global or local, is a vital part of
delivering business success;
- When carrying out our business, in
consultation with our customers, we will determine the
environmental, social and economic issues;
- Our contracts will clearly set out
the agreed terms, conditions and the basis for our relationship;
- We will continually review our
policies and business practices to encourage engagement with small
and medium enterprises and to promote the development of the
regional supply chain.
Corporate Governance
- We will share and declare
information on personal and corporate conflicts of interest and seek
guidance from higher authority before acting;
- We are committed to ensuring that
our business is conducted in all respects according to rigorous
ethical, professional and legal standards;
- All the laws that regulate and
apply will be complied with;
- We endeavour to ensure that
stakeholders have confidence in the decision-making and management
processes of the Procurement Service, by the conduct and
professionalism of all staff. We do this by continually training and
developing our staff;
- All groups and individuals with
whom we have a business relationship will be treated in a fair, open
and respectful manner;
- Competition will be reasonable and
based upon the quality, value and integrity of the products and
services being supplied;
- Feedback on performance will be
actively sought, and we will continually review all activities to
ensure best practice is observed at all times;
- We will allow our customers and
vendors to give feedback on our performance and ensure that all
customer comments are analysed, responded to and where appropriate,
acted upon;
- An Action Plan will be developed
to ensure continuous improvement is achieved.
Environment
- Our objective is to endeavour to
reduce our impact on the environment through a commitment to
continual improvement;
- We will continue to work with our
vendors to reduce their impact on the environment;
- We do assess production, use and
disposal associated with the main goods we use;
- Our customers will be informed of
the key issues involved in procurement so they can make informed
purchases to reduce their impact on the environment;
Human Rights
- We aim to support and respect the
protection of internationally proclaimed human rights;
- Vendors are actively encouraged to
observe international human rights norms within their work.
Equality and Diversity
- We aim to eliminate discrimination
on any grounds and promote equality of opportunity in the supply
chain;
- We will ensure that our customers
and vendors are able to work together in confidence and be treated
with respect by each party;
- Our range of contracts will take
account of the needs of a diverse customer base.
Sustainability
- A Sustainable Procurement Policy
will be maintained that will set out the principles, policies and
procedures on which sustainable business activity within Company
will be based.
- The policy will act as a prompt to
staff to consider sustainability as a factor in all purchasing
decisions;
- We seek to minimise the adverse
environmental effects of people travelling to and from our offices.
Impact on Society
- We will take steps to understand
how we can most effectively support the needs of the local community
and implement initiatives accordingly;
- Our impact on the local and wider
community will be understood and nurtured;
- Dialogue with local communities
shall be encouraged for mutual benefit.
Ethics and Ethical Trading
- We will ensure clear visibility
through our supply chains, so we know where all our products are
made;
- Training will be provided to
relevant people on environmental and social issues affecting our
supply chains;
- We will ensure that vendors uphold
the workplace standards and behaviours consistent with the Company’s
requirements.
Vendors (Suppliers)
- Vendors will be worked with to
help us achieve our policy aspirations in the delivery of our
products and services;
- We shall encourage vendors to
adopt responsible business policies and practices for mutual
benefit;
- Vendors are regarded as partners
and we will work with them to help us achieve our policy aspirations
in the delivery of our products and services;
- An environmental and social
assessment will be undertaken for every new contracted vendor;
- We are committed to ensuring that
the welfare of workers and labour conditions within our supply chain
meet or exceed recognised standards;
- Where necessary, we will exert
procurement pressure to ensure that all of our vendors behave in a
socially responsible way. This includes environmentally-friendly
products and making sure that workers are treated properly;
- Where appropriate, our tender
specifications include questions to reflect our desire for
sustainable procurement;
- We hold regular meetings with
vendors to support these ideas;
- We will continue to work with
vendors to:
- Promote more environmentally
friendly products and promote these to our customers;
- Reduce the amount of packaging
and transit where possible; Implement schemes to take-back,
recover, re-use and recycle products at the end of their use/life.