We engage with our suppliers to ensure we work together  

Building mutually beneficial relationships with our suppliers matters to us. By creating positive relationships and using our purchasing power we are able to secure best value goods and services, which can directly improve our business performance and that of our clients.

We engage with our suppliers in a number of ways. At Group level we have a strategic supplier development programme in which members of our central procurement team meet our strategic suppliers regularly to review their performance and ensure they remain compliant with our policies. This also gives us the opportunity to provide constructive feedback and share ideas.

At a local level our in-house procurement specialists manage our supplier relationships. The central procurement team gives them guidance and training to ensure that they work within our operating framework.

To support local suppliers and encourage supplier diversity, we provide all suppliers the opportunity to work with us. We acknowledge that smaller suppliers may face challenges in the procurement process due to lack of time and resources. Where this is the case we try and assist them through the process to ensure a level playing field.

Helping Suppliers to Excel

By working closely with suppliers throughout the relationship we can help improve both their and our own sustainability credentials, motivating existing and potential suppliers to offer more socially and environmentally sustainable products and services. We believe this continuous improvement will also help our suppliers to secure new contracts with us and other clients in the future.