October 2017

Modern slavery and sustainable procurement

In 2015, in the wake of growing global concerns round unethical business operations, the UK Modern Slavery Act passed into law. It states that any public or private company that carries out all or part of its business in any part of the UK and has a turnover of more than £36 million, with a financial year ending on or after March 31 2016, must publish a modern slavery statement within 6 months of its year end.

Read more about modern slavery, including the Modern Slavery Act, sample statements, tackling the issue in supply chains and other CIPS resources

Recruitment and a sustainable business

People can be your biggest asset but it's also a huge challenge for procurement to ensure a consistent supply of the right mix of skills to support the business.

Read more about recruitment outsourcing

Why ethical procurement matters

In the old days, business was all about profit. Today, being a good corporate citizen is just as important and, according to CIPS Representation Manager Emma Scott, ethical procurement is "fundamental for purchasing professionals to ensure the practices they undertake in business are above reproach."

Read more

Passion for Procurement 11 October, Hull

The last in our series of four seminars covering all that is current in procurement for this year. Attended by over 70 procurement professionals this session covered all you need to know about building the right team, the importance of soft skills and how emotional intelligence is a skill that can be taught. David Loseby FCIPS gave us an insight into his current research on Behavioural Procurement, and Cath Hill, Group Marketing Director at CIPS complimented this with a session on EI (more information can be found on our Knowledge Hub). CIPS CEO Gerry Walsh FCIPS shared his knowledge and experiences with LOCOG of how to build the best team, whilst Andrew Coulcher FCIPS talked about the profession is growing and changing. Download presentations.

Only around a third of organisations required to publish modern slavery statements have done so according to TISC report:

• 19,633 UK organisations are required to publish modern slavery statements

• Out of these only 5,508 UK organisations have complied to date

Read more from TISC report on the failure to publish modern slavery statements

CIPS also carried out its own survey of supply chain professionals which found that:

• 34% of firms required to comply have failed to publish a modern slavery statement

• 37% of supply chain professionals in businesses required to deliver a statement had not read the government guidance

“The results of our survey are shocking,” said Cath Hill, CIPS Director. “Legislation that was designed to be world leading has fallen at the first hurdle: compliance.” She continues: “While awareness of modern slavery is becoming more widespread, we need to ensure that outrage turns into action. Those working in the procurement and supply chain profession have told us that without stricter policies and harsher punishments for those who are not compliant with the act, little will change.”

Read more

Read some examples of modern slavery statements from:

• Oxfam

• Save The Children

• Marks & Spencer

• Co-op

Marks & Spencer and the Co-op have been particularly proactive in this area:

• M&S have published an interactive map that allows stakeholders and customers to see where their products are produces. It lists the factories in a particular location, what they make and how many people work there. M&S published the map along with its 2016 Plan A report, which details progress in company’s green and ethical programme. Read more

• Meanwhile, as part of an extensive programme to tackle modern slavery, the Co-op has launched Bright Futures which gives 30 modern slavery survivors a four-week placement within the company's food business, with the opportunity to turn this into a full-time job. We were delighted to have the Co-op's Policy and Campaigns Director, Paul Gerrard, speak at our UK Conference on 17 October. Read more

Guidance from CIPS on how procurement professionals can address modern slavery in supply chains

Remember ... the three Ps:

• Policies put in place to prevent, detect and eradicate modern slavery, including codes of conduct, statutory declarations and contractual provisions, and whistleblowing procedures

• Processes established to identify vulnerabilities, such as supply chain mapping and independent auditing of key supply sites

• Planning for situations where issues are identified and corrective action is needed.

Read more

Modern Slavery Act - One Day Course

21 November, Birmingham

Do you know what modern slavery is and how it differs from forced labour, trafficking or exploitation? Do you know your legal and moral obligations to deal with modern slavery? If not, this course is for you?

CIPS have collaborated with the Ethical Trading Initiative to develop an enjoyable and interactive one-day course. It will enable you to understand legal definitions and why they matter. You will explore writing a modern slavery statement for your organisation, discover practical ways your business can assess and manage risk in your supply chains and understand what to do if you suspect or discover modern slavery within your business operations. It will also examine how organisations are increasingly working together to combat modern slavery. Book Now

A focus on modern slavery in Australia

On the back of the UK legislation, the Australian government has launched its own campaign to create a Modern Slavery Act, demonstrating the increasing global importance being placed on this crucial issue of our times.

Read more about the launch of the campaign in Australia

Mark Lamb, General Manager, Asia Pacific said, “Modern slavery must be stamped out, but we can only succeed if there is consistency in the rules that apply across local and international borders. The UK Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority has rightly called for consistency across Australia but there also needs to be consistency across countries. I, therefore, welcome the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s commitment to the issue, and the continued collaboration with UK’s independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner."

“Although the Act has improved awareness of modern slavery in the UK, the Australian government should carefully consider enforcement. Our research in the UK has shown that more than a third of businesses covered by the Act failed to fulfil their obligations under the law – with no consequences. Australia should learn from the UK’s experience and ensure systems are put in place to track and enforce compliance."

“The UK Modern Slavery Act was a welcome first step in eradicating modern slavery, Australia has the opportunity to take the next one.”

Make a submission to the committee inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia

Introducing the new RS Process Cost Calculator

Process costs can be twice the amount spent on products, and typically the average process cost for an order is around £80. RS have developed a Process Cost Calculator to help provide guidance to CIPS members.

Download the Calculator

News from the UK Conference

The Annual Conference took place in London, UK on 17 October and you can now read our series of articles from the event published in Supply Management:

Britvic buyers 'unshackled' by Brexit

‘Keep risk in mind’ as global economies grow

Look to niche providers to manage risk

Is supplier consolidation the best policy?

All firms should employ former slavery victims, says Co-op

Government commercial overhaul aims to save £4bn

CPOs must break from 'pencil-pushing' stereotype

Jaguar Land Rover planning for sharing economy

10 tips for cross-functional collaboration

Managing your supply chain risk can save lives

To follow all the news and activity as it unfolded on the day, search under the hashtag #cipsukconf on Twitter

CIPS opens office in Accra, Ghana

Building on a long history of association with the profession in Ghana, and encouraged by the appointment of a Minister of Procurement and the focus on improving public sector procurement in the country, we are delighted to announce the opening of this new CIPS office, which will be run by CIPS Country Manager and Fellow Stella Addo.

Read more

CIPS Middle East Supply Management Awards 2018

Respected as a benchmark for excellence, a CIPS Middle East Supply Management Award is the most prestigious recognition an organisation or individual in the procurement and supply chain profession can receive. So if you have project to be proud of or a team that shouts success, then make sure you showcase your achievements and enter the Awards.

The Awards will take place on Tuesday 20 March 2018 after the first day of the CIPS Middle East Conference.

The annual Awards ceremony is a fantastic opportunity for you and your team to take to the stage and receive the recognition and rewards for your vision, hard work and collaborative leadership in procurement and supply management. Read more

New bookshop pricing

We are pleased to announce that Level 2 and 3 publication pricing remains the same since the bookshop launch in 2013, at £24.50 per book. However, Diploma, Advanced Diploma and professional Diploma will be seeing a slight increase up to £38.50 per book.

Visit the CIPS bookshop

Your time to shine

Using CIPS Knowledge [link] and Supply Management [link] resources during your studies can help to broaden and deepen your knowledge on key procurement topics and keep you up to date with current developments in the profession. You can also sign up to receive daily Supply Management updates via e-mail, packed with the latest procurement and supply chain news, opinion, practical advice, upcoming events and job vacancies.

Welcome new Fellows