Supplier Policy

1.0 Background and Context

At Exposure Ninja we are committed to being a sustainable business and aspire to be an overall positive contributor to our communities, people and the environment. We recognise that our performance depends on that of our suppliers and we aim to work in partnership towards our vision to create and sustain environments that enrich people’s lives.

We aim to build long-term collaborative partnerships with organisations that share our values and that are willing and capable of helping us achieve our aspirations. We expect our suppliers to share our commitment to sustainability and to be able to demonstrate how they fulfil this commitment, consistent with our policies. We recognise that this involves us taking a broader view of value, valuing the social and environmental outcomes our suppliers are able to offer as well as the commercial outcomes. It also requires us to look at the value that will be delivered over the course of a supplier relationship. 

We believe that this approach results in mutual benefit, inspires innovation and will enable us to make best use of our suppliers’ knowledge and expertise. 

We engage our suppliers by using a variety of different sourcing strategies and recognise that we need to find the balance between having a consistent approach and retaining flexibility that supports creative solutions. Therefore, whilst our goal is the same, our approach to engaging and managing our suppliers may vary. 

2.0 General Policy 

Exposure Ninja is committed to working in partnership with our suppliers to realise the full value of our relationships and to positively contribute to our communities, people and the environment. This includes:

  • Proactively engaging with our suppliers with a focus on building trusting, co-operative and long-term relationships
  • Applying good governance to provide oversight and means through which the objectives of the process are monitored, audited and integrity is maintained
  • Maintaining and monitoring our Approved Supplier List
  • Defining and applying appropriate sourcing methods in our procurement of goods and services, ensuring all capable suppliers have an equal access to opportunities to work with us
  • Dealing with suppliers in good faith, ethically and responsibly, and making payments in accordance with agreed terms
  • When all other vetting requirements remain equal, give preference to suppliers that demonstrate a commitment to sustainably managing their business performance, with values complementary to our own, and in a location that supports local community growth (Nottingham and the surrounding areas, or the Philippines)
  • Set clear expectations for our suppliers regarding their sustainability performance and embed its minimum requirements within supplier contracts
  • Ensure to the best of our knowledge that our suppliers are in compliance with local laws and regulations, including social and environmental performance regulations
  • Employ appropriate methods for assessing the performance of our key strategic suppliers and those engaged in higher risk activities and monitoring their progress over time
  • All chosen suppliers should go through a screening process.
  • Where possible, Exposure Ninja encourages all purchasing from suppliers from under-represented populations. Taking into consideration:
    • Gender
    • Sexual Orientation
    • Race
    • Disability
    • Age
    • Immigration background
    • Low-income status
    • Independent or local businesses
    • Environmental impact

3.0 Implementation

Exposure Ninja will enact this Policy through the monitoring of the Supplier Screening Checklist, which relates to each commitment within this policy. 

For suppliers with an annual invoice of £5000 or above, or suppliers who constitute a ‘significant supplier’ defined as the largest suppliers of the company amounting to approximately 80% of non-labour cost:

  • Suppliers must be vetted through our Supplier Screening Checklist in full.
  • If we are unable to complete the checklist from the supplier’s website, we must contact the supplier and ask them to provide evidence of the required checks to ensure they are compliant and would pass our screening.

For suppliers with an annual invoice of £4999 or below who are not considered ‘significant suppliers’:

  • To the best of our knowledge, is this supplier compliant with all required laws and regulations, including those related to social and environmental performance and not using forced labour.

Decisions on suppliers:

  • Suppliers with a score of less than 3 from the Supplier Screening Checklist will not be worked with by Exposure Ninja. 
  • If a contract is already in existence with a supplier who scores less than this, Exposure Ninja will contact them to discuss the situation and ensure the scoring is correct. If it is, Exposure Ninja will end their contract with the supplier at the end of its contractual course.
  • If a supplier is found to be using forced labour or not in compliance with legal legislation relating to but not limited to ethics, compliance, bribery, coercion and social and environmental regulations, Exposure Ninja will not work with this supplier.

Ultimate responsibility for the implementation of this policy sits with the Exposure Ninja Senior Leadership Team. 

4.0 Review

Our Supplier Screening checklist will be reported to the Exposure Ninja Environment and Sustainability Committee on an annual basis. 

The policy will be regularly reviewed in light of legislation and organisational changes and developments in sustainability best practices, or at a minimum, every two years. The policy commitments will be reviewed to ensure their continued relevance, as measures of suppliers’ sustainability performance mature and evolve.