PPN 02/23 Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains

This new PPN applies to NHS bodies and applies from 1 April 2023.

This Procurement Policy Note (PPN) and guidance sets out how to identify and manage modern slavery risks in both existing contracts and new procurement activity and advocates a risk-based approach to identifying and managing these risks across government’s commercial activities. The guidance sets out how to ensure greater supply chain visibility on procurements at high risk of modern slavery occurring to support due diligence, with strengthened advice on how to exclude suppliers where there is sufficient evidence of modern slavery violations.

There are 4 key actions outlined in the PPN:
1. In-Scope Organisations must use the guidance ‘Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains’ to identify and manage risks in both new procurement activity and existing contracts.
2. In-Scope Organisations should note the table used for assessing the risk of modern slavery has been updated to include current global modern slavery risks in key sectors of concern such as cotton, PPE and polysilicon.
3. In-scope Organisations should note there is a new requirement for supply chain information to be provided at the selection stage of new procurements designated as high risk of modern slavery.
4. In-scope Organisations should note there is additional guidance on enhanced due diligence activities and on using existing exclusion grounds more effectively.

A ‘quick reference guide’ on tackling modern slavery in Government supply chains accompanies the PPN and guidance documents.