Working for Tower Hamlets and Suppliers Code of conduct
Any company wishing to work for Tower Hamlets has to comply with certain minimum requirements for them to be eligible to bid or to be awarded a contract. These are the requirements:
1 Mandatory and discretionary grounds for exclusion
Mandatory and discretionary grounds for exclusion are statutory requirements under the procurement regulations for contracts entered into before February 2025 under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 regime and after February 2025 under the Procurement Act 2023 regime.
2 Supply chain ethical code of conduct
Supply chain ethical code of conduct is a Tower Hamlets document requiring all suppliers and their supply chain to act and supply in an ethical manner in all areas.
This includes fair treatment of the workforce, compliance with law, health and safety, equalities, whistleblowing, etc.
3 The London Living Wage
The London Living Wage must be paid as a minimum to all staff employed on a Tower Hamlets contract.
4 Best value
Services and supplies will always be purchased in a manner that determines best value for money for the council. In most cases this will involve a tender assessment based on price and quality.
5 Financial standing
Bidding companies will have to demonstrate a financial standing that is appropriate for the contract before any tender award can be made. The basis on which this is assessed will always be made known as part of the tender documentation.
6 Air quality
Tower Hamlets is within the TfL Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). This will affect the use of any of your company vehicles.
In addition, Tower Hamlets may place other requirements on vehicles and their movement. This includes delivery logistics to further support the drive for cleaner air in the borough.
Find out more on Air quality.
7 Social value
All Tower Hamlet tenders (with very few exceptions) will include a Social Value commitment from bidders as part of the tender.
Worth a minimum of 10 per cent of the tender score and may include additional quality questions. This may even be included as a mini-e-auction as part of the tender submission process.
Contract Management procedures are in place to ensure delivery of the committed benefits.
8 Cyber security of the supply chain
Suppliers must ensure that appropriate cyber security measures are in place to protect data, systems and services across their organisation and throughout their supply chain.
This includes
- maintaining secure systems
- safeguarding sensitive information
- following relevant cyber security standards and best practices to mitigate risks and ensure service resilience.
9 Environmental impact
Tower Hamlets has a target to become a zero net carbon authority by 2025. Bidders will be asked to include, as part of their tender submission, how they would support the council in this aim. This element of their bid will be worth a stated percentage of the tender score.
Find out more about the environmental impact.
10 Food products and producers
Any contract involving the supply of food to or on behalf of Tower Hamlets has to supply food carrying quality and ethical production accreditation wherever possible.
Examples of this are Fair Trade (for tea, coffee, bananas, etc) and Red Tractor and Lion Brand (for UK-produced food).
Find out more about food products and producers