Corporate responsibility and Sustainable Procurement
In Government Procurement Service, we recognise that we have responsibilities to many stakeholders - our customers, our suppliers, our staff, and our wider community. We have developed our Corporate Responsibility (CR) programme to help us to understand and to best balance the different needs of these stakeholders. We recognise that taking seriously our responsibilities to society and the environment is more than just the smart thing to do, it's the right thing to do.
Sustainable Procurement
Right across the public sector, organisations have sustainability objectives to achieve, and procurement professionals have a key role to play.
Government Procurement Service recognises these challenges, and is committed to helping our customers achieve value for money in sustainable procurement. We want to spread the idea that sustainable procurement is smart procurement, the smarter choice for future procurement - producing many benefits for business and ultimately, a competitive advantage.
Over the past year, we have helped our public sector customers achieve savings in excess of £670 million, and have a range of schemes in progress that will enable us to build on these savings and increase the quality of sustainable procurement available at Government Procurement Service.
The Sustainable Solutions area of our website has been designed to provide access routes to a wide range of sustainable products easily and efficiently. It also aims to keep customers informed of new developments within sustainability in Government Procurement Service and offer advice and guidance.
Equality and Diversity
Government Procurement Service is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to upholding and, wherever possible, exceeding the guidance provided in accordance with Civil Service Policy Statements, National Equality of Opportunity and Equal Pay Legislation, Anti Discrimination and related legislation and European Union Law.
Government Procurement Service recognises that the ethos of valuing diversity and promoting equality relies on good equal opportunities practice, and because of this, it is our aim as an employers to have equality at the core of what we do and ensure that, as far as we can, we have a fully representative workforce.
Staff Training
Government Procurement Service continues to meet the Investor in People (IIP) Standard, the national standard that sets a level of best practice for staff training and development, which can be used to achieve business goals.
The IIP Standard provides a basis to improve business performance and competitiveness through staff motivation and development, a huge priority for Government Procurement Service.
As part of this standard, Government Procurement Service is committed to providing staff with an opportunity to increase their skills and experience through a number of training and development opportunities, including the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) for our procurement specialists.
Staff Welfare
Government Procurement Service has a series of policies and schemes in place to support the ongoing commitment to staff welfare.
We operate an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), providing confidential counselling and support services to staff and their families should the need arise. This service is operated by an independent external organisation.
Flexible working arrangements and a childcare voucher scheme are in place to support staff in maintaining a good balance between their home and working lives.
Our community
Government Procurement Service understands its wider role in society and is committed to supporting local community projects. Recent projects have seen Government Procurement Service staff volunteering at charities including St Martins Housing Trust, Mencap Active and Habitat for Humanity.
Our volunteering policy supports staff in their carrying out own charitable activities - in fact, staff are able to take two days paid leave each year for voluntary work.