Rising expectations for human rights requirements in government procurement
In a move designed to help public procurement officials understand the level of modern slavery risk posed by suppliers to the UK Government, the Cabinet Office has issued a new Procurement Policy Note setting out a series of guidance measures and requirements.
As of October 1 2019, procurement tender documentation now contains specific questions relating to the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking. These cover issues such as working and employment practices; the supplier’s approach to modern slavery and human rights; factory conditions and recruitment methods.
In an article published in the latest issue of In-Procurement magazine, Michael Pollitt looks at this move to reduce the risk of modern slavery occurring in public procurement contracts and explores the actions Government suppliers and would-be suppliers should be taking in order to meet these new requirements.