Pioneering Ethical Procurement: Our six-point plan for compliance and fairness for all

Since our launch in 2013, acting with duty, responsibility and integrity has been central to our operations. In the ten years since then, frameworks have evolved to become the most effective way for the public sector to procure the services and goods it needs, and we have positioned ourselves as one of the most trusted framework providers in the UK.

Pioneering ethical procurement always has been and always will be at the heart of what we do. But across the industry, there is still a variety of practices and processes that are not up to the high standard to which procurement providers should be held. As the use of frameworks continues to increase and new entrants come into the market, we have a duty to safeguard frameworks for the future. It is critical that all providers operating in this space are held accountable to make sure frameworks continue to hold their position as a credible, trusted and ethical route to market.

Transparency is a crucial part of quality procurement processes, but it’s important we are transparent about the way we work, and why we work the way we do. That’s why we have developed our six-point ethical procurement plan.

This plan sets out our commitment to a compliant procurement process, which is fair, open and transparent – and works in a way that is beneficial for all sides. It lays out a dedication to drive innovation and progression for the good of the sector.

Point 1 – Driving best practice and legal compliance

• All of our management services with contracting authority hosts and frameworks we manage on behalf of our hosts are fully compliant with Public Contracts Regulations (PCR).
• We are true champions of the principles outlined by the Construction Playbook and Constructing the Gold Standard.
• All of our software platforms are G-Cloud approved, and we hold ISO9001 and ISO27001 accreditations.
  Every framework is supported by trained and experienced professionals from our MCIPS, NEC PMA and RIBA qualified team.

Point 2 – Fair, open and transparent business practices

• Our pricing is open and transparent, being agreed at the outset of the framework, as well as when procurements are ‘called off’.
• We operate a ‘no hidden costs’ guarantee and we don’t charge early engagement fees; payments only apply when project delivery kicks off.
• We are proud members of the Good Business Charter and we’re working towards BCorp certification.
• We never mandate the use of paid-for third party tools or services, and our KPIs are structured to benefit clients and suppliers, not us.

Point 3 – Delivering value for money

• We leverage private sector experience and expertise to drive value for the public sector.
  The fees for using frameworks we manage are consistently market-tested and benchmarked against other providers.
• All frameworks under our management undergo rigorous market engagement and independent evaluation prior to the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage.
• Every framework we manage is thoroughly evaluated independently to ensure value is delivered for all users and their pricing and total cost lead the market in accessibility and affordability.

Point 4 – Being people-first in our approach

• We are leaders in inclusivity and diversity within the sector.
• We are passionate about improving mental health in construction and established the Pagabo Foundation and Feelgood Games to raise awareness and funds towards this.
• We promote ‘careers not jobs’ within a progressive, people-first working culture, where we take the work-life balance of our staff and partners seriously.

Point 5 – Helping build strong communities

• Frameworks under our management are shaped to actively support and promote SMEs.
• We have invested more than £2.3 million into communities to date through our direct social value contributions, and will continue to do so.
• Our procurement processes are truly embedded with social value and we know our responsibility to give back through our actions.
• We help clients and suppliers to embed social value in their projects through free access to Loop – the market-leading social value measurement platform.

Point 6 – Leading on technology and innovation

• We are pioneering a ‘digital-first’ approach to frameworks and procurement with our G-Cloud accredited MyPagabo
• To promote a data-driven approach to decision-making, we’re leading on the development of construction’s ‘black box’ moment.
• We are actively investing in sector R&D through our initiative ‘The Future of Construction’.
• Added value runs throughout our ecosystem, with G-Cloud accredited software solutions available to all clients and suppliers to use for free.

Pioneering Ethical Procurement

It’s in our DNA, and with the procurement space continuing to develop at quickening pace we know that taking the lead to drive best practice is crucial to maintain standards and the positive reputation of frameworks into the future.

Doing things the right way remains key, and ensures that together we are working towards betterment for the whole sector too.

We’re forging the way to help the public sector and suppliers make good decisions when engaging with framework providers. To help with this, we’ve also created a ‘choosing the right provider’ checklist, which you can find over on our Pioneering Ethical Procurement page:

Pioneering Ethical Procurement