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Procurement

Birkbeck spends approximately £30m per year with more than 1035 suppliers. We are working to improve our procurement processes and to support different teams in making purchasing decisions that support our social, environmental, and economic goals.

To date, our activity include the following:

  • We have introduced a Supply Chain Code of Conduct form, which is to be signed by all suppliers who are interested in tendering for our contracts. We have also rolled this out to our existing suppliers.
  • We have developed a new Sustainable Procurement Policy, which is currently under review as of June 2026 and is expected to be fully approved and published by the end of 2026.
  • We monitor all Birbeck contractors selected via UK Universities Procurement Consortia (UKUPC) frameworks for compliance purposes.
  • Birkbeck, University of London is a member of the London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC), who have a dedicated responsible procurement hub for different frameworks. All listed suppliers complete regular reporting, which is uploaded on the LUPC website for the benefit of members, and which we will use to support our Scope 3 calculations and to inform other decisions as our work in the area progresses.
  • Four of our wet labs currently hold Bronze LEAF certification, and we have a long-term target to achieve Silver certification in all our eligible wet labs. We also hold a Green Disc Bronze certification covering the Faculty of Science as a research group. While working towards our first round of certifications, we introduced new procurement guidance for both wet and dry labs. Find out more about what our labs are doing.
  • During the 2026-27 academic year, our Catering team will be working towards Green Kitchen Standard and Food For Life Served Here certifications to help improve sustainability in both our catering processes and the food we serve. Procurement is expected to play a key role in both certifications, particularly Food For Life Served Here. Find out more about what our catering team is doing.

Our targets

  • Publish our new Sustainable Procurement Policy by the end of 2026.
  • Work towards Silver LEAF certification in all eligible wet labs, improving procurement processes as part of our activity.
  • Work towards Green Kitchen Standard and Food For Life Served Here certifications, aiming to achieve at least a Bronze award in both by the end of 2027.