At Telent, procurement goes beyond cost and capability, by supporting local economies and inclusive growth across the UK through our sustainability strategy. We already have strong visibility of our supply chain impact by spend including supplier size, type and region, with 55% of FY25 spend directed to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE).
Our new Supply Chain ED&I Report builds on this foundation by looking beyond spend to understand the people delivering our contracts, the diversity of our supply chain workforce and the wider opportunities our procurement activities support. Using a proportionate, voluntary approach designed to work for smaller suppliers, we engaged partners across our core supply chain, covering 6,673 supplier employees, including almost 600 directly supporting Telent contracts.
With most of our suppliers being MSMEs and VCSEs, the assessment promoted participation and capability‑building through flexible submissions and simple digital tools. Suppliers could provide organisation‑level data or enable us to securely collect anonymised responses directly from their workforce, reducing administrative burden while improving consistency. Participating suppliers received aggregated insights to support transparency and reporting, aligned with Telent’s inclusive procurement goals.
Key Highlights
- Estimated 1,550-1,700 supplier employees servicing Telent contracts
- 37% suppliers created new jobs as a result of Telent spend
- £9.4m spent with diverse-owned businesses (9% of suppliers) including minority ethnic, female, disability and veteran-owned
- 103 trainees across the supply chain
- Good representation servicing Telent contracts - 17% female, 4% disabled, 21% minority ethnic and 4% LGBTQ
- Overall supply chain diversity of 33% female, 26% female leadership, 4% disabled, 2% LGBTQ+ and 19% minority ethnic, highlighting both strengths and areas for continued focus
This work directly supports Telent’s wider ED&I strategy by extending our focus beyond our own workforce to the people delivering our services through the supply chain. By improving transparency and understanding of supplier workforces, we are better able to evidence inclusive outcomes, align with customer social value priorities and identify where targeted engagement can support long‑term cultural and structural change.
Inclusive procurement is fundamental to accessing the best solutions and innovation across our supply chain. By extending our focus beyond spend, we’re strengthening transparency while supporting suppliers to build the capability and confidence needed to grow and demonstrate their positive impact.
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This report is something we’re genuinely proud of. By embedding inclusive procurement and improving transparency across our supply chain, we’re better positioned to access the innovation, capability and solutions needed to deliver complex programmes and long‑term value.
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Looking ahead, Telent will build on this strong baseline by expanding supplier coverage, improving data quality and continuing to support suppliers in strengthening their own ED&I capability. This will enable more robust reporting, clearer insights and targeted initiatives that further enhance inclusive growth, skills development and social value across the supply chain.