Why did you wish to achieve the Supply Chain Partnership Standard
We sought accreditation to:
- Demonstrate our commitment to collaborative and ethical supply chain management.
- Strengthen relationships with supply chain partners and stakeholders.
- Benchmark against a nationally recognised standard.
- Support contracting, tendering, and funding opportunities.
Previously accredited to the Merlin Standard at its highest level, Shaw Trust was keen to adopt the new Supply Chain Partnership Standard when it launched in April 2025. Our aim was to confirm our position as a “provider of choice” through an independent assessment of how effectively we work in partnership with our supply chain.
External accreditation has always delivered clear benefits, driving positive behaviours internally and externally. Supply chain partners remain central to many Shaw Trust programmes, helping people into employment and supporting mental health recovery through innovative services that remove barriers to good work. We’re proud of our achievements and wanted to demonstrate to commissioners the value our partnerships deliver.
The Approach to achieving the Standard
Our preparation for the Standard drew on experience from previous Merlin Standard assessments. We began with senior leadership briefings to secure endorsement, followed by sessions with commercial and operational colleagues. A Lead Assessment Co-ordinator managed the process from start to finish.
Key steps included:
- Collecting written evidence from across the organisation for the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ).
- Moderating submissions to ensure all criteria were met.
- Maintaining regular communications with internal supply chain managers and leads.
- Providing clear, targeted communications to supply chain partners via newsletters, briefings, and direct mail to explain the process and encourage honest feedback through surveys and interviews.
Once interviewees were confirmed, we scheduled internal and partner interviews, assuring confidentiality to promote openness. The Lead Assessor reviewed our SAQ and supporting evidence, highlighting any gaps or clarifications to address during interviews.
The Impact / Benefits of working with the Supply Chain Partnership Standard
Achieving an overall score of 95% and being awarded ‘Outstanding’ for our first assessment against the new standard was a strong independent endorsement of how we manage and support our supply chain partners. High scores across all core components of the contracting lifecycle were particularly encouraging and highlight our continuous improvement from the last Merlin Standard assessment.
The assessment also gave us the opportunity to evidence how social value is embedded across our contracting and supply chain management processes, and we look forward to continuing to development this assessment area.
We would encourage other organisations that value strong, fair supply chain partnerships to undertake the new Standard. It provides a robust framework for benchmarking, learning and continuous improvement. For us, it has helped to reinforce good practice and supports our ambition to maintain our ‘Outstanding’ status over time.
The Assessment Feedback
The report provided valuable recommendations for areas of continuous improvement, which we captured in an action plan for review and implementation. We’re committed to documenting all improvements and any new initiatives ahead of our first annual review with the Lead Assessor.
Our achievement of the Standard was celebrated internally and on social media. We also informed our commissioners, and are promoting the Standard to other stakeholders as opportunity arises.
Would you recommend Assessment Services Ltd as an assessment body?
Our experience was both smooth and enjoyable from the initial commitment, the planning stages and culminating in the interview days with the Assessment Team (Lorna and Ruth).
Richard was always on hand during the entire process in regard to all the important administration of the assessment.
The final report was clear, well written and accurately reflected the assessment outcomes. We would happily recommend Assessment Services as an assessment body and would like to thank the whole team on behalf of Shaw Trust.
Author(s)
Jo Sears – Senior Contracting & Supply Chain Manager (Lead SCPS Co-ordinator)
