Accreditation: Why it’s a chance to put buyers’ minds at rest

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As a buyer, I am interested in the hard facts current and potential suppliers can provide to reassure me about their company’s commitment to health and safety, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. I point out that if robust information is not forthcoming, I am forced to use my imagination – like many buyers, this is when I start to assume the worst.

Soon, we intend to no longer rely on anecdotal information from supplier sales teams telling us how good their track record is. We are increasingly asking companies to produce independent verification of their claims in order that they we can invest time with them around the negotiating table.

Until now, a lack of independent accreditation schemes meant that we had to rely on a system of self-declaration. Consequently, the standards and policies that some companies claim to have on Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs) sometimes may not stack up when placed under scrutiny.

So how do we tackle this problem? The answer is to adopt a cross-industry independent accreditation, such as the BuildingConfidence scheme. This initiative consists of robust third party auditing and transparent processes. It is designed to provide buyers and suppliers with greater assurances that the supply chain is responsible, competent and legally compliant. I believe that this accreditation should become mandatory for suppliers of certain types of goods and services.

For suppliers across the entire supply chain, there are clear business benefits of adopting this standard and I would urge them to consider it seriously. Independent accreditation opens up the market for suppliers whose clients increasingly demand this level of scrutiny, and gives independent endorsement and validity to the claims that companies make around their credentials. Crucially, it can be a sales tool providing companies with a fact-based competitive edge in negotiations, because it can help move the discussion away from being solely focused on price.

Adopting a single accreditation process across the industry will help to raise standards, make the tendering process more secure, efficient and transparent, and ultimately eliminate the need for companies to ask or answer the same questions over again.

Those suppliers who cannot provide independent verification of their claims send a message that they either do not take the issue seriously or maybe have something to hide – and that is when my imagination takes over. So my advice is, do not give buyers a chance to fear the worst.