Supplier Diversity Policy

Widening our supply base and removing barriers for smaller and under-represented suppliers.

Document control
Reference	AM-POL-008
Version	1.0
Classification	Public
Owner	James Peachey, Co-founder
Approved by	James Peachey, Co-founder, on 2 June 2026
Next review	2 June 2027
Applies to	All amarti employees, contractors and associates
Standards alignment	Equality Act 2010; ISO 9001:2015 clause 8.4

1. Purpose

We buy from a wider range of suppliers because it makes us a better business, not because it makes a better slide.

A diverse supply base brings different perspectives, reduces concentration risk, and supports the communities and economies our clients operate in. As a small business ourselves, we understand how procurement processes designed for large suppliers can shut out capable smaller ones.

This policy sets out how amarti approaches diversity in its own supply chain and how we support clients who have supply chain diversity commitments of their own.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all amarti purchasing decisions and to the selection of associate consultants and subcontractors. It sits alongside the Supplier Relationship Policy (AM-POL-007), which sets out the due diligence and contractual requirements that apply to every supplier regardless of their profile.

Nothing in this policy overrides those requirements. Diversity is a consideration in supplier selection; it is never a substitute for capability, security or value.

3. What we mean by a diverse supplier

For amarti’s purposes, a diverse supplier is a business that is at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by one or more individuals from a group that is under-represented in our sector, or a business that faces structural barriers to winning work in professional services supply chains. This includes:

• Businesses owned by women.
• Businesses owned by people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
• Businesses owned by disabled people or neurodivergent people.
• Businesses owned by LGBTQ+ people.
• Businesses owned by veterans.
• Social enterprises, community interest companies, charities and co-operatives.
• Micro-businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises, and sole traders.

We rely on self-declaration by suppliers, and we recognise recognised third-party certifications such as those issued by MSDUK, WEConnect International, Social Enterprise UK and Disability Confident. We do not require certification, because the cost of certification is itself a barrier for the smallest suppliers.

4. Our commitments

• We will consider at least one small, micro or diverse supplier in any competitive selection for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 supplier where a credible one exists in the market.
• We will keep our requirements proportionate. We ask for the assurance we actually need for the risk involved, and we do not impose enterprise-scale documentation demands on a two-person supplier.
• We will not use turnover thresholds, minimum insurance levels above the actual risk, or lengthy trading histories as blanket qualification criteria.
• We will give clear, specific feedback to unsuccessful suppliers who ask for it.
• We will pay promptly. Our standard payment term for small suppliers and associates is 30 days from receipt of a valid invoice, and we aim to pay sooner where cash flow allows. Late payment is one of the most damaging barriers a small supplier faces.
• We will not require a supplier to accept unlimited liability, unreasonable indemnities or payment terms longer than 60 days.
• We will describe opportunities in plain language, without unnecessary jargon or oversized documentation.

5. How this works in practice

Stage	What we do
Identifying suppliers	Look beyond incumbents and existing networks. Use recognised diverse supplier directories and client-provided supply chain networks when sourcing.
Requirements	Set requirements based on the risk and value of the work, not on a standard template. Ask for evidence of controls, not corporate polish.
Evaluation	Score on capability, security, delivery confidence and value. Where two suppliers are otherwise comparable, diversity of the supply base is a legitimate differentiator.
Onboarding	Ask suppliers to self-declare diversity characteristics on the supplier questionnaire. Declaration is voluntary and has no bearing on the outcome of the security assessment.
Working together	Offer a named contact, clear scope and prompt payment. Give feedback that helps a small supplier improve.

6. Supporting client commitments

Many of our clients have supply chain diversity, social value or SME spend targets, particularly in the public sector where social value is a formal evaluation criterion. Where a client has such commitments, we will:

• Report honestly on our own diversity profile and supply chain composition when asked.
• Consider diverse subcontractors where an engagement requires capability we do not hold in-house.
• Avoid making claims about our supply chain that we cannot evidence from our supplier register.

7. Measurement and review

We keep measurement simple and honest. Annually, Ben Alexander reports to the leadership team on:

• The number and proportion of active suppliers who have self-declared as diverse, small or micro businesses.
• The proportion of addressable spend with those suppliers.
• Average time to pay small suppliers and associates.
• Any barrier identified in our own process during the year, and what we changed.

We do not set numerical quotas. With a supply base of our size, a single supplier change would move a percentage target dramatically and would tell nobody anything useful. We report the actual figures and the direction of travel instead.

Ben Alexander (ben@amarti.io) is responsible for the operation of this policy. James Peachey is accountable for it and reviews it annually.

Questions about this document

The first point of contact for this document is James Peachey (james@amarti.io). Where a query is best handled by another member of the leadership team, it will be routed as follows:

Contact	Area	Email
Ben Alexander, Co-founder	Sales, client engagement and consultant operations	ben@amarti.io