Supply Chain Management

Our commitment to partnering and team working is integral in our company Values. Through the use of incentivised agreements we aim to develop long term, sustainable relationships where our supply chain feels part of our team and real stakeholders in the success of our company. We encourage suppliers to join us in a Supply Chain Charter that reflects our commitments to our suppliers as well as the approach we expect from them. 

Selection 

Satisfying ourselves of the suitability and capability of our supply chain to provide goods and services on our behalf is of fundamental importance in ensuring that we fulfil our contractual obligations and provide an excellent service to our customers. We look for partnerships with suppliers that are culturally aligned with our mission, vision and values.

We have a robust procedure to verify their competency, suitability and capabilities. This process involves the completion of our comprehensive supplier evaluation questionnaire and takes into account a range of considerations including, financial stability, sustainability, certainty of programme delivery, quality of service, cultural alignment and ethical approach.

Our supply chain arrangements range from local arrangements to suit contract specific needs to national framework agreements with preferred partners.

Framework agreements

In consultation with our customers and operational business users our Procurement Team has negotiated a range of Framework Agreements with our key suppliers to meet both national and local procurement requirements. These Frameworks ensure that all our operations enjoy the same economies of scale benefits and service levels.

We apply a category management approach to procurement where our supply chain is segmented into discrete categories and have dedicated Category Managers who are experts in their respective fields.