ETI's course on ‘Public procurement and ethical trade' will help you develop your knowledge of how ethical trade principles can be applied to public procurement and start to identify the elements of an ethical procurement strategy in your own organisation.

Who is it for?

The course is ideal for anyone involved in procuring goods and services in the public sector, including:

• Central and local government procurement staff
• University procurement staff
• Councillors at local authorities who might be concerned about ethical issues
• NHS trust staff board members and procurement staff
• Members of the Local Government Association
• Social housing providers
• Local government procurement staff in other European countries

About the course

Across the UK and Europe, public sector bodies are increasingly seeking to integrate international labour standards into public procurement. In the UK, recommendations coming out of the recent government Spending Review are unlikely to diminish demand for the public sector to procure ethically - and indeed may even create greater opportunities for it. ETI and its 70+ corporate members have more than a decade's experience of defining how buying practices can drive improvements to workers' rights and contribute to poverty reduction. Drawing from this experience, this workshop will bring you up to speed on the world of ethical trade, get to grips with EU regulations and guidance, and understand how you could introduce ethical procurement principles and practices into your own organisation.

What does the course cover?

This course will introduce the concept of ethical trade and demonstrate how it can be applied to public sector procurement. In particular, it will cover:

• What is ethical trade?
• Why is there increasing interest in ethical procurement in the public sector?
• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and its system of labour standards.
• The world of ethical trade: ETI and other codes, schemes and standards.
• Getting to grips with EU procurement rules and guidelines on ethical trade.
• Public sector supply chains - are they different?
• Applying ethical trade to procurement - putting it into practice

What will you gain from the course?

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Define the concept of ethical trade in relation to public procurement
• Recognise the international labour standards that are used in voluntary codes of conduct for ethical trade and in procurement policies
• Identify some of the issues in your own organisation's supply chain
• Outline the auditing and verification models used by social compliance schemes
• Know how to apply ethical trade principles to your own work

About our Trainer

Our trainer Stirling Smith has extensive experience of delivering training and consulting in the field of labour standards. Since the mid 1990s he has been working a consultant with the ILO, trade unions, companies, NGOs and the co-operative movement - writing and delivering training, developing policy, and designing and evaluating projects. His areas of expertise include child labour, the impact of HIV/AIDS in the workplace, industrial relations, H&S at work and cooperatives. He has worked in more than 25 countries.

Prices

Companies/Public sector organisations: £330 + VAT
Trade unions and NGOs: £220 + VAT
ETI company members: £210 + VAT
ETI Trade Union and NGO members: £160 + VAT

Booking

To book or express an interest please email training@eti.org.uk or call:
+44 (0)20 7841 4350