A place for conversations from the University of Edinburgh community on topics around social responsibility and sustainability.
Increasing data accuracy from our coach suppliers
Discover how one we started to collect more accurate data from our coach suppliers.
We have been collating data from our travel companies to accurately report on carbon emissions from our business travel since 2016. These include coach companies that provide mileage for booked routes.
As the previous contract didn’t stipulate the data requirements from these suppliers, we often did not receive reports and, when we did, the quality of the reports we received were quite varied. As part of the new contract, we wanted to standardise the reporting requirements from coach companies. This makes it easier for suppliers to provide the information we need in the right format, at the right frequency, and makes it easier for us to collate and then report against these.
How did we do it?
Coach travel is grouped into our road travel emissions on the University’s Business Travel Report
Developed standardised reporting template
To reduce the resource requirements for suppliers, we developed a simple reporting template that could be populated by coach companies. The fields requested in this template are already collected by the suppliers but, often, across multiple systems.
Input into procurement tender
Due to the range of trips the University might need to arrange throughout an academic year, the tender developed was for a framework. This allows multiple suppliers to be approached by bookers for specific trips.
As part of this, we added a specific requirement for carbon emission reporting for all suppliers into the Invitation To Tender (ITT). This requirement set out clear expectations for the format, contents, methodology and frequency of reporting.
Supporting implementation in the contract
During initial contract mobilisation meetings with suppliers, we dedicated time to this section, ensuring that the coach companies understood the requirements of the reporting. We gave them a direct contact in the University to share their reports and ask questions.
What where the results?
Through this process, we now receive regular reports from our main coach companies. This allows us to process and collate this information seamlessly as part of our business travel reporting, which is mandatory as part of the Public Bodies Climate Change Duties (PBCCD) report to the Scottish Government.
What are the next steps?
We are now looking at ways to standardise carbon reporting from a wider range of suppliers, allowing us to better understand the actual impact of our purchasing, and helping our buyers to make informed decisions on the products they purchase.
One example is our supplier of Digital Advertising that now provides us with quarterly carbon reporting, using an industry agreed standard – the IPA Media Carbon Calculator.
What can you do?
Efficient reporting for suppliers
We want to improve reporting across a wider range of purchased commodities. If you are a supplier to the University, look out for our new Edinburgh Pathway which is designed to streamline and standardise sustainability reporting.
Request reporting in supplier contracts
If you are a buyer at the University, think about how you can ask suppliers for sustainability reporting as part of a contract.
View a snapshot of our high-level sustainability reporting, including travel, on our data dashboard.
The Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability report a number of sustainability metrics on behalf of the University. You can see these on the sustainability data dashboard.
Submit a case study
Have you made a sustainability purchasing switch you would like to share? Submit a case study by emailing the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability at Responsible.Procurement@ed.ac.uk and we will work with you to write it up!
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