There is a legal obligation on institutions to promote equality in all its functions. This is now part of statutory provisions set out in the Race Relations Act (as amended). The Act places obligations on all UK public authorities.
Note: due to their funding profile the legislation also applies to universities which are deemed to be private organisations under EU judgements.
The HE sector has developed a Toolkit (see link below) to assist procurement practitioners in the sector to address their institutions’ obligations under the Act. The toolkit aims to supplement the Commission for Racial Equality's publication "Race Equality and Public Procurement - A guide for public authorities and contractors" [available on the EHRC web site]. It focuses on the operational and practical application of the legislation and provides some common standards which aim to reduce any perceived adversely bureaucratic and resource-intensive impacts of the changes on both procurement practitioners and the sector's often shared vendor base.
The toolkit takes the form of a number of template documents that may be viewed and downloaded from the Guidance Section of the Procureweb site.
Useful Links
Equality Guidance on Procurement - IDeA guidance prepared for local authorities - August 2009
British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) - This website gives a wide range of information and services for those interested in supported employment.
Creating Value in a Socially Responsible Way (Remploy) - supported businesses.
OGC Guidance on reserved contracts for supported factories and businesses - supported factories and businesses for people with disabilties have a valuable role in assisting poeple with disabilities to integrate into the labour market. This guidance gives practical advice on what is meant by reserving contracts.
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