Setting the Responsible Standards

 Key areas include:

• Responsible procurement or ethical sourcing policies
• Anti-bribery and corruption controls
• Whistleblowing arrangements and protections
• Governance accountability and review cycles
• Transparency and public availability of policies

 Assessment considers:

• Social value strategy and priorities
• Alignment to recognised models (e.g. employment, skills, inclusion, wellbeing)
• Measurement and reporting of outcomes
• Local and contract-relevant delivery
• Continuous improvement commitments

• Carbon footprint measurement (Scopes 1, 2, and relevant Scope 3)
• Net Zero commitments and targets
• Environmental policies and action plans
• Data quality and governance
• Ongoing monitoring and reduction activity

Key considerations include:

• Equality, diversity, and inclusion policies
• Fair employment practices
• Health, safety, and wellbeing support
• Training, development, and engagement
• Monitoring and improvement mechanisms

 It examines:

• Operational implementation of policies
• Contract delivery governance
• Monitoring, review, and reporting
• Audit readiness
• Continuous improvement planning

 Every UKRPS assessment requires:

• Documented evidence
• Public or auditable references where appropriate
• Clear ownership and review dates
• Improvement targets where maturity is evolving
   

This ensures the Standard is defensible, repeatable, and trusted by buyers.