Achilles - Making a Real Difference to our Procurement
Since 1995 Achilles in the UK has operated a supplier database service called the Utilities Vendor Database (UVDB) for the utilities industry. More than 60 utilities, including ScottishPower Procurement, use UVDB to source and prequalify suppliers of products and services. Oxford-based Achilles provide a worldwide database of more than 5,000 suppliers who undergo a preregistration
screening according to a quality criteria, including health, safety and environmental management.
While most of ScottishPower's suppliers are based in the UK, US and other European Union member states, the rapid globalisation of supply chains compels us to look worldwide to ensure we maintain a rich supply base.
However, at an early stage ScottishPower recognised that with these global opportunities comes increased risks. Our performance, and reputation, demand that all our suppliers operate to the same standards of health & safety, customer service, quality and enviromental stewardship that we expect from ScottishPower employees.
In response, ScottishPower initiated and chaired a working group comprising Achilles personnel and representatives from other UK utilities to review the supplier qualification process to ensure a greater focus on these issues. In particular, the group focused on ways to incorporate human rights and labour standards as part of the prequalification process and ensure the high standards of UVDB prequalification continued beyond first-tier suppliers and were visible right down through the supply chain. In September 2005, ScottishPower's Director of Procurement addressed Achilles first ever Corporate Social Responsibilty Conference in Birmingham to outline proposed measures to raise suppliers awareness of issues.
The new UVDB evaluation criteria, launched in
2006, requires suppliers to clarify whether they have policies on issues such as union rights, bribery, ethics and forced labour. The responses they give to an online questionnaire are followed up by Achilles' auditors and onsite verifiers.
