Here at LUPC, we have finalised our new Responsible Procurement Strategic Plan, setting out our responsible procurement activity for the next 12 months, and how we will meet our requirements within the LUPC Corporate Strategy in this area. The plan was developed in consultation with the Board, Executive Committee, and Heads of Procurement from our membership.

The key objectives of our Responsible Procurement Strategic Plan commit LUPC to:

• Implement effective supplier and supply chain due diligence, utilising the Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct for all our suppliers, as well as assisting our members in their commitments to combat modern slavery;
• Communicate our activity regularly through media, events, and training opportunities;
• Investigate opportunities for collaboration with appropriate bodies where learning can be shared across the three pillars (Environmental, Social, Economic);
• Provide 1:1 and group support to our members via our dedicated responsible procurement
  lead;
• Lead by example to deliver net zero for LUPC and work with suppliers and our members to help them achieve their net zero emissions targets and their commitments to combat modern slavery; and
• Improve the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) understanding of our staff and our members.

You can read how we plan to achieve these objectives and monitor our performance against them here.  

In line with our Responsible Procurement Strategic Plan, we have also developed an Environmental Policy to mitigate the environmental impact of our activities. A key commitment within this policy is to be a net zero company by the end of 2022/2023. To enable this, we have created an LUPC Carbon Emissions Report 2020-21 as a preliminary exercise to finalise the methodologies and calculations required from the 2021-22 academic year onwards. The next report covering 2021-22 will set the baseline from which we can measure our progress and calculate our offsetting requirements.

Don Bowman, LUPC’s Director said: “As a leader in responsible procurement it is only right that we commit to becoming a net zero company at the earliest possible opportunity. Delivering on the objectives of our Responsible Procurement Strategic Plan is a top priority for LUPC.”