Our Suppliers

The health, safety and mental wellbeing of our subcontractors has always been important to us; they take part in regular ‘Toolbox Talks’ covering the health and safety aspects of our sites. As with 2020, during 2021, subcontractors have had to comply with the Group’s strict Covid-secure operating procedures.

The Group continues to take its role in combatting modern slavery and human trafficking seriously, and has further developed its training provision, ensuring greater awareness of the risks in this area for staff in key functions that interact with the supply chain.

Throughout 2021, the Group continued to support its suppliers in a number of ways. This includes our partnership with RoofCERT, a scheme that encourages our roof-tiling operatives to gain independent accreditation and provide greater assurance within the industry.

The Group is also a signatory to the Prompt Payment Code (PPC). The Code sets standards for payment practices and best practice and is administered by the Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The Group has a centralised procurement department that has been strengthened with the appointment of a new Group Commercial Director, a Group Procurement Director and the formation of a centralised Group procurement team. This enlarged department will continue to manage the strong, long standing relationships we have previously held with our main suppliers and will seek to secure Group wide deals covering all major elements of our construction process. These relationships and agreements will allow the Group to establish consistent standards of quality, security of cost and supply of materials whilst providing our suppliers with certainty over volumes, revenues and cash flows. In addition, our operating businesses work closely with a large number of regional suppliers to secure locally sourced materials. Such close working relationships will provide these small suppliers with consistent order volumes, helping to sustain their businesses and support the local communities we work within. The Group works with 5,155 suppliers and is proud to support c.52,000* jobs within its supply chain.

Our regional housebuilding operations engage with a large number of local subcontractors in the construction of our homes. This ensures that the Group secures good availability of the skilled trades that we require locally and provides our subcontractors with continuity and consistency of work. The Group supports over 40,000* jobs on its sites.

In total, during 2021 the Group supported c.92,000* jobs across its wider supply chain (2020: c.86,000*). The 7% increase is in line with the year on year increase in legal completion levels achieved in the year.

^{* Estimated using an economic toolkit which has been updated to reflect latest Government guidance.}