Values and policies

UCL has a range of policies in place to guide working practices and maintain high standards. Those that relate specifically to commercial and procurement activities are included here.

As one of the world’s leading multi-disciplinary universities, we operate in a global context and are committed to excellence, innovation and the promotion of global understanding in all our activities. We expect the same commitments from our suppliers and partners. Find out more here about our vision and values.

UCL expects its staff and all of UCL’s suppliers (and their supply chain) to also align with the following:

Integrity

We expect that the highest levels of integrity are applied at all times by both UCL and its supply chain. UCL’s related procedures and policies include:

Partnerships

UCL seeks to re-use strategic and key suppliers, as well engage with new suppliers aligned with our values and principles. We consider that contract management is key to a successful business relationship. If your company is awarded a contract or framework agreement, we expect you to manage your part of the business and work with us to improve the contract over its lifetime including regular review meetings to discuss, among other things, performance against agreed SLA and KPI targets.

We are keen to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). Please contact us if you would like to understand more about how we contract with SMEs and VCSEs.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

All parties must display a clear understanding of and adherence to UCL’s Accessibility and Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity requirements, including our Equal Opportunity Policy.

Environment and Society

We are looking to engage with suppliers with sound environmental and social performance measures and reporting that align with UCL’s vision and values, UCL’s Sustainability Strategy, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and The Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code.

We want to tackle the climate emergency, the ecological crisis and the pressing social and environmental issues facing our local community. Find out more about responsible procurement at UCL.

This also includes ensuring we provide and maintain a safe and healthy environment for our staff, students, people we work with and for those who visit - as detailed in our Health and Safety Policy.

Other requirements

In addition, where appropriate, suppliers should demonstrate:

Compliance with the Prompt Payment Code
Completion of equality impact assessments
Demonstrable support for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)
Offering local employment and apprenticeship opportunities
Being a Living Wage Employer
Provision of Gender Pay Gap reporting
Compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard “PCI DSS”.