Procurement

Every aspect of a business, including information technology, recruitment, human resource support, facilities and public relations is affected by disability. Similarly, as disability affects every aspect of a business, so it will also affect the procurement process.

In particular, the introduction of the Disability Equality Duty means that public sector organisations have an obligation to promote the equality of disabled people - and this extends to the private companies they tender to.

The benefits of disability confident procurement

Legally, contracting a service doesn't mean divesting responsibility under the DDA - the risk is the same as if the service was provided in-house. Failure to ensure the proper safeguards and procedures are in place before awarding a contract may still result in litigation from disabled employees and/or customers.

Reasonable adjustments - or lack of - are the most common cause of complaint among disabled customers and employees, and potentially the most likely to end in action under the DDA. Factoring diversity into an organisation's procurement standards minimises the risk of action from disabled employees and customers.

The benefits of disability confident procurement procedures are not limited to minimising the risk of action under the DDA. Procurement can be an effective lever for promoting an organisation's values. Government bodies are increasingly using procurement to promote good practice in diversity.

Disability should therefore be considered by businesses when they think about their relationships with suppliers and partners to ensure they both meet other's standards and promote disability confidence through their business relations.

Additionally, disabled people and their families have an annual spending power of around £80bn a year, a figure that should fit neatly into any business case for disability confidence.