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What we value in suppliers.

We aim to build long-term partnerships with our suppliers who are as passionate about our work as we are.

We seek to deliver the right goods and services, at the right price, to the right place at the right time. We value reliable suppliers who deliver this the first time and every time.

We also value suppliers who have a customer-focused approach to the supply of their goods and services. This means that suppliers understand our needs from our point of view, and have well-defined processes which start at the supply chain management level and end with the delivery driver.

We value innovation and excellent service, so please bring your ideas to us. We particularly respect suppliers who run lean operations, driven by the principle of doing more with less, and have a continuous improvement culture to deliver consistently at high-quality standards and generate cost efficiencies.

What we buy.

Below are some examples of the materials, equipment, goods and services that we source to allow us to deliver our mission for children.

Programmatic (direct)

This includes the materials which are directly used by beneficiaries within a programme or humanitarian response, or equipment used directly to deliver programmes, such as:

  • Medical and nutrition including pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, therapeutic and supplementary food.
  • Education materials including books, toys and  school equipment.
  • Fleet.
  • Freight.
  • Cash transfer programs.
  • Construction.
  • General supplies including buckets, tarpaulin, tents, hygiene kits and so on.
  • Agriculture including livestock, seeds, grains and so on.

Non-programmatic (indirect)

This includes goods and services which are not directly used by the beneficiaries, but still enable us to deliver for children, such as: 

  • Property including lease renewals.
  • Travel.
  • Facilities management including non-property related expenses.
  • External workforce including programmatic and non-programmatic consultants.
  • Conferences and meetings.
  • Human resource services including recruitment costs, employee benefits.
  • Insurance.

Supplier Sustainability and contractual requirements.

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We need to think about the impact of our actions today on our children and the communities of tomorrow.

Save the Children’s procurement ambition is to elevate social, economic and environmental sustainability to the core of both our ways of working and decision making as well as our suppliers’.

To maximise our social impact, we strive to improve the wellbeing and working conditions of supplier's staff, as well as to develop an inclusive and diverse supplier base. We aim to strengthen livelihoods through supplier capacity building and localisation.

To reduce our negative environmental impact, we seek to maximize the use of sustainable / natural resources and reduce waste through our supply chains.

These requirements are specified in the Supplier Sustainability Policy.

Furthermore, Save the Children and its donors have specific rules relating to the supply of goods and services. Thus, before we make any spend commitments with a supplier, we will ensure that suppliers are compliant with donor, legal and Save the Children requirements and therefore will adhere to our contractual terms and conditions.

Read our Purchase Order Standard Terms & Conditions

Read our Supplier Sustainability Policy

Email the procurement team with any questions or concerns.