Telent showcases sustainable procurement to GLA and European City Officials

On 28 November, the Greater London Authority (GLA) hosted a City Match event, bringing together participants from several European public authorities, including Copenhagen, Madrid, Aalborg, Rome, and Stavanger, to discuss decarbonisation and the important role of suppliers in delivering sustainable outcomes. As a key partner to Transport for London (TfL), Telent supported the event by hosting a site visit at one of our London operations centres. During the visit, we showcased our sustainable procurement capabilities, including our net zero agenda, efforts to decarbonise our value chain, and our new Electric Vehicle (EV) fleet in support of TfL’s environmental plan.

As one of Telent’s longest-standing customers, we’re proud to support TfL in creating an environmentally sustainable transport network to help London meet its air quality and carbon reduction targets. This includes cutting operational emissions to support the mayor’s ambition of making London a carbon-neutral city by 2030.

Telent was among the first telecommunications companies in the UK to have ambitious carbon reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). These include a commitment to reduce emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, on the path to Net Zero. Achieving these targets requires comprehensive decarbonisation of both our fleet and the indirect emissions within our value chain.

As specialists in maintaining mission and safety-critical systems, Telent delivers several contracts for TfL, covering the supply, installation, and maintenance of a complex range of digital infrastructure. This includes traffic technology, communication assets, CCTV cameras, customer help points, information displays, and, more recently, fire safety assets.

Through these contracts, Telent’s Asset Management team committed to operating a fully electric fleet of maintenance vehicles, supporting London’s social value targets for air quality and carbon reduction. Earlier this year, we began taking delivery of a new fleet of fully electric vehicles. This requirement has also been extended to our key subcontractors, who are integral to both Telent and TfL in advancing this journey.

Procura+ is a European network of public authorities and regions collaborating to promote sustainable and innovative procurement practices. Coordinated by ICLEI, the network facilitates knowledge exchange, provides support and advice and advocates for sustainable procurement at European level. As key members, the GLA hosted a City Match event, bringing public authority visitors together to discuss decarbonisation and the role of sustainable procurement criteria. As a key partner, Telent supported the event by hosting a site visit.

Visitors were welcomed by representatives from our Procurement, London Roads, and Fleet teams, who provided a comprehensive overview of our sustainable procurement strategy, progress towards our net zero targets and our approach to working with the supply chain to deliver maximum value for money on a whole-life basis. We also shared recommendations and insights from our lessons learned on integrating sustainable procurement criteria into supplier contracts.

Visitors then had the opportunity to explore our new electric fleet and engage directly with our Engineers, gaining first-hand insights into the transition to EVs, the challenges encountered, and the practical solutions implemented. This was followed by a guided tour of the site, where visitors saw our innovative technology and operational capabilities in action.

In FY24, Telent achieved significant progress towards our net zero commitment, reducing emissions across all scopes by an average of 31 per cent since our FY20 baseline. By March 2025, we will have 100 zero-emission vehicles operating in London, representing 10 per cent of our overall fleet. Our aim is to make 50 per cent of our fleet vehicles zero-emissions by 2030 to meet our carbon reduction targets.

To further reduce supply chain emissions and help our customers understand their indirect carbon footprints, Telent has developed a Design Carbon Appraisal Tool (DCAT). This innovative tool enables our design teams to estimate the carbon footprint of every product and service required for a project. By providing carbon data upfront, teams can make informed decisions, compare options and prioritise carbon reduction for products and services with the highest embodied emissions. This targeted approach streamlines decision-making and ensures attention is directed at the most critical carbon reduction opportunities, delivering both environmental and economic benefits.

Following the event we’ve received fantastic feedback, with visitors commenting not only on how interesting they found the event but also on how welcomed they felt. A big thank you to everyone who came together to support it!