Socially responsible procurement

Socially responsible procurement is defined as conducting the University of Michigan's business in a manner that meets or exceeds the ethical, legal, commercial and public expectations that society has of business operation.

Areas of our socially responsible procurement include:

• Environmental
• Diversity
• Human rights
• Safety
• Community investment
• Business ethics

Socially responsible procurement is more than a collection of discrete practices or occasional gestures, or initiatives motivated by marketing, public relations or other business benefits. Rather, it is a comprehensive set of policies, practices and programs that are integrated throughout our business operations, and decision-making processes that are part of our values and supported by our leadership.

The experiences of most organizations are that socially responsible procurement has both financial and non-financial benefits. This is bolstered by a growing body of empirical studies which demonstrate that socially responsible procurement has a positive impact on business economic performance.

Procurement Services has been encouraged to develop our socially responsible procurement efforts as the result of concerns from faculty, staff, students, and alumni, as well as our customers, communities, donors and other stakeholders.