Sustainable Purchasing Policy

RCI Group Sustainable Purchasing Policy

 

1.1 Purpose

The RCI Group, and its subsidiaries, are committed to protecting our people, the people we work with and the environment.

We recognise our responsibility to ensure fair, appropriate, and effective procurement of services and purchasing of goods, which are sustainable and support our wider social value commitments.

This policy governs the way we work with our suppliers, including our vendors, business partners and third parties (including subcontractors), to help ensure ethical business integrity.

The purpose of this policy is to support all RCI Group employees who procure from suppliers in understanding their responsibilities in relation to procurement and sustainable purchasing, as well as the expectations we have of our suppliers.

 

1.2 Regulation and References

  • Modern Slavery Act 2015
  • Environment Act 2021

1.3 Roles and Responsibilities

 

Role  

Responsibility  

The RCI Board 

  • Reviewing and endorsing this policy. 

The Managing Directors (of subsidiaries) 

  • Ensuring that this policy, supporting procedures and required actions are implemented and complied with.  

The Finance/Commercial Team 

  • Adopting best practice purchasing and supply standards and initiatives. 
  • Collaborating and developing relationships with suppliers which increases the accountability (including the ethical and environmental performance) of our supply chain.  
  • Monitoring the evaluation and assessment of suppliers’ supply practices (including ethical, sustainable measures), taking appropriate commercial action as necessary. 

Senior Leaders and Middle Managers 

  • Implementing and enforcing the processes and procedures. 
  • Ensuring that their people are aware of their responsibilities and complete appropriate training. 
  • Addressing any behavior that falls short of the expectations of this policy. 

The Training Team 

  • Identifying and rolling out relevant training to appropriate staff.  
  • Facilitating training compliance monitoring. 

All Employees 

  • Carrying out their work in line with this policy and associated procedures. 
  • Challenging any behavior that falls short of the expectations of this policy. 
  • Identifying any breaches of this policy and reporting them to their line manager. 

Suppliers  

  • Acting in accordance with this policy, our Supplier Code of Conduct, and associated procedures and guidance. 

 

1.4 Sustainable Procurement and Purchasing

The RCI Group has a reputation for high quality service provision across the industries in which we operate, and we always aim to deliver excellent value (both social and monetary). The way we manage our procurement of goods and services, including our supply chain, is crucial to our business continuity and achieving our sustainability objectives.

Working in collaboration with partner providers, through subcontracts, and suppliers of goods and services, is integral to the sustainability of our contracts and ensuring that we meet the evolving expectations of our customers, clients and wider stakeholders, as well as to upholding our commitment to the environment and climate change.

In order to ensure sustainable procurement and purchasing, we will:

Make sure that suppliers comply with our Supplier Code of Conduct, our policies and other legal requirements.

Identify the risks associated with using suppliers and manage these risks as far as reasonably possible.

Encourage and engage our suppliers to develop a proactive approach to sustainability.

Pro-actively engage and work with suppliers who share similar sustainable objectives and who are mindful of the environmental impact they have.

Ensure that the roles and responsibilities of suppliers are clearly defined and adhered to.

Ensure that the way we supply and develop our services reflects our sustainability objectives and those of our customers.

Implement processes that enable local, small and minority owned businesses to be part of our supply chain.

Ensure we undertake relevant training to increase our knowledge and understanding.

Be ethical in our business practices, when dealing with our supply chain.

Use and dispose of goods in an environmentally responsible way, including considering reducing, substituting, reusing and recycling as sustainable options.

 

1.5 Supply Chain Management

Supplier selection: Appointment of suppliers must meet the needs of the RCI Group and subsidiaries, as relevant, and take into consideration social values, ethical practices, and environmental impacts. This will be managed through our supplier assurance procedures.

Manage contracts: Our contracts with suppliers should include supplier expectations, performance, scope of work, and key deliverables. In the interests of transparency, supplier contracts should include a right to audit.

Extend opportunities: Equal opportunities for local, small, and minority owned businesses will be provided.

Ensure governance: There must be a defined governance structure in place to manage suppliers, including supplier performance.

Monitor suppliers: Suppliers must be monitored to ensure that the supply chain risk is managed within our risk management framework.

 

1.6 Expectations for RCI Group Suppliers

Our expectations for RCI Group Suppliers are detailed in our Supplier Code of Conduct.

 

1.7 How this policy will be implemented

Suppliers will have to agree that they are meeting the criteria outlined in the Supplier Code of Conduct. This will be recorded on a Supplier Management System.

 

1.8 How the implementation of this policy will be monitored

Suppliers will be asked to re-confirm their adherence to the Policy on an annual basis. (NB. this process will be automated as part of the new supplier management system).

 

1.9 Supporting documentation

  • Supplier Code of Conduct
  • RCI Group Carbon Reduction Strategy
  • RCI Group Modern Slavery Statement

 

Version 1.0

November 2023

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