I am delighted to share the City of London Corporation’s second annual Responsible Procurement Impact Report.
The City Corporation procures around £700m of goods and services annually, with almost 1,200 third party contracts live, currently valued at £2.7bn. By applying responsible procurement weightings within tender processes, the Corporation can help to drive wider social value from its suppliers in their day-to-day operations. For example:
- Supplier Diversity and SME Inclusion
The City Corporation has deepened its commitment to breaking down barriers for small, micro, and diverse-owned businesses. Notably, the Corporation launched their first SME Strategy, hosted outreach events, and supported tiered subcontracting to promote inclusive supply chains. The number of small/micro businesses we have worked with increased from 2,634 to 3,102 year-over-year. - Social Value and Community Impact
Suppliers delivered meaningful community benefits including over 9,000 training hours for vulnerable adults, 466 volunteer hours, 25 work placements, and 24 apprenticeships. Several initiatives also supported youth engagement, employment readiness, and social mobility—particularly for underrepresented groups. - Environmental Sustainability in Procurement
The City Corporation made tangible progress toward net zero goals by supporting 17 suppliers through the Heart of the City’s Net Zero Accelerator. These efforts are projected to reduce emissions by 13,525 tonnes of CO₂e (equivalent to emissions from over 12,000 one-way economy flights from London to New York). Suppliers also implemented impactful eco-practices such as reducing plastic and food waste, and conserving biodiversity. - Human Rights and Ethical Practices
Responsible procurement includes safeguarding human rights in supply chains. Suppliers were recognized for supporting survivors of modern slavery and promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion through training and partnerships with organizations like Hestia.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to improving data, engagement, and commercial collaboration. Guided by the belief that “better never stops,” we’ll continue to evolve our approach and will be updating our procurement policy framework later this year.