Sustainable Procurement Policy

Statement of intent: 

Una Health Ltd is an organisation committed to understanding and managing the environmental and social impacts of our operations, including the procurement of goods and services. Ensuring sustainability is embedded across every function, it is essential to our goal of making a sustainable contribution to society. This policy explains how we will integrate environmental and social considerations into its procurement policies and practices. We recognise that improving our procurement performance is an ongoing process and that our suppliers, both large and small, are important partners in our journey to become more sustainable. 

Our aims and objectives are to: 

  • Minimise our environmental impact and deliver community benefits through better selection and improved usage of products and services; 
  • Foster innovation in our supply markets to increase the availability and effectiveness of sustainable solutions that meet our organisational requirements; 
  • Encourage our suppliers to adopt practices that minimise their environmental impact and deliver community benefits in relation to their own operations and throughout the supply chains in which they operate. 
  • Work in partnership with suppliers to achieve our common goals and continually improve performance over time. 
  • Support Una Health Strategic Direction and other relevant sustainability policies. 

Specific targets: 

The UK government has identified climate change as a key policy priority in order that future generations are able to enjoy their natural environment. To realise this goal, the government has mandated several procurement policies which Una Health is obliged to adopt. As a result, we will, in our purchasing decisions, give preference to: 

  • Any product which meets the specifications listed in the governmental Quick Wins List 2007. 
  • Any supplier of timber who are FSC approved and certificated. 
  • A reduction in our carbon emissions, waste management and water consumption.
  • An increase in our energy efficiency and our recycling. 

Supplier Code of Conduct 

As the contracting organisation, we expect our suppliers to ensure their practices are supportive of our approach. We expect to purchase goods and services that have been produced or are delivered with minimum impact on the environment and with due regard for social issues such as employment conditions and welfare. As a result, Una Health reserves the right to refuse partnerships with organisations that do not achieve the following minimum standards for their operations, employees and supply chain, in accordance with International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions. 

Working Conditions 

  • Freedom of Associative and Collective Bargaining (C87 & C98). 

As far as any relevant laws allow, all employees are free to form or join a Union, which pertains to the protection of the terms conditions of the employment of employees, such as wages, hours of work, working conditions and grievance procedures. 

  • Elimination of Forced and Compulsory Labour (C29 & C105). 

Forced, bonded or compulsory labour is not used and employees are free to leave their employment after reasonable notice. Employees are not required to lodge deposits of money or identity papers with their employer. 

  • Elimination of Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation (C100 & C111). 

Discrimination based on factors non-relevant to the terms of employment is prohibited. Examples of non-relevant attributes include race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, height, weight and age. 

  • Abolition of Child Labour (C138 & C182). 

Work undertaken by people of 16 years or under without consideration for their personal development, safety, education or health is prohibited. This will be supported by policies and programmes, which promote the development of any employed child. Placing children in employment deemed to be hazardous (in accordance with ILO definitions) shall not be tolerated. 

Supplier Diversity 

It is our policy to encourage a diverse range of suppliers to tender to provide services, materials or expertise and our aim is to give equal opportunities to suppliers owned by under-represented groups. 

Environment 

Processes are in place to actively improve the efficiency with which finite resources (such as energy, water, raw materials) are used and the release of harmful emissions to the environment associated with manufacture, use and end-of-life product management are minimised. 

Working Principles: 

Our main focus will be on supply markets which have the largest environmental/social impacts by virtue of the size of our expenditure (i.e. top 10) and/or sustainability risks (i.e. specific and identifiable environment and/or social impacts regardless of size of expenditure); 

We will ensure all key procurement decisions and actions are considered to ensure the most sustainable outcomes are achieved; 

Appropriate environmental and social requirements will be integrated into all procurement activities, e.g. pre-qualification, specification and evaluation stage. 

As far as possible, all tenders will be evaluated to take into account the environmental and/or social impacts of a particular product or service over its whole-life cycle, and appropriate supplier sustainability performance assessment criteria and weightings will be used. 

We will adopt a pragmatic approach to encouraging and influencing our suppliers to improve their sustainability practice; 

Whilst this policy applies to all Una Health suppliers, we will strive to ensure that it does not place unnecessary and over burdensome requirements on small to medium enterprises (SME), putting them at a disadvantage in doing business with us. 

As required, we will establish performance agreements with our key strategic suppliers, monitor their progress over time, and provide them with regular and constructive feedback. 

As far as possible, we will conduct our procurement activities to support and deliver community benefits (e.g. recruitment of the long-term unemployed, skills development), and will work in partnership with other organisations to achieve this. 

Accountability 

Una Health and our members of staff have shared responsibility for integrating the provisions of this policy into their decision-making. 

We will review this policy and associated procedures on an annual basis; 

We will verify, using external assessors, our performance against this policy whenever possible. 

We will monitor and report where appropriate the environmental and social outcomes achieved from the application of our policy across our operations; 

We will report on our progress in implementing this policy to the Management Board and to the Board of Directors.