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NHS Education for Scotland

A skilled and sustainable workforce for a healthier Scotland

Ethics and Sustainability

NES is committed to ensuring a high standard of ethical and sustainable trade practices across its commissioning and procurement activities. NES expects is suppliers, service providers and contractors to observe our provisions and to demonstrate a similar commitment to an ongoing programme of ensuring and, where necessary, improving ethical practices locally and globally.

NES proactively works to ensure that all goods and services it procures are sourced ethically in terms of both the way the NES procures and in terms of the standards that we expect our suppliers, service providers and contractors to meet. In compliance with UK legislation, NES conducts its procurement process in line with our Ethical Procurement Policy [PDF] (“the Policy”) which is based upon the principles of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code, and which were founded on the conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The aim of the Policy is, in addition to the commissioning and procurement processes, ensure that NES considers the wider impact of the service’s delivery. It allows NES to, for example, choose a supplier under a tendering process who not only provides the most economically advantageous service, but one which goes beyond the basic contract terms and secures wider benefits and improvement to the lives of people and the environment. The Policy applies to all areas of NES and to its direct suppliers and contractors.

NES requires all direct suppliers and contractors to observe the provisions of this Policy and requires that such suppliers and contractors, in turn obtain similar compliance with its provisions from their suppliers and contractors.

All parties to whom this Policy applies are also required to comply with applicable national and international laws.

This Policy sets out NES’s aims in this regard. It seeks to:

  • Set out a definition of ethical trade practices delivered through our Procurement and Commissioning activities
  • Set out a clear statement of ethical and sustainable practice
  • Set out the core objectives
  • Promote the adoption and improvement of ethical and sustainable practices across our supply chain