Award criterion must be proportionate and relevant to the particular procurement, and there must be a clear methodology to evaluate responses. Any equality related award criteria should be included within the specification. For example, when procuring care and support services, an authority might consider incorporating award criteria which will allow it to evaluate service providers’ understanding of how equalities legislation applies to the delivery of those particular services. The following may be helpful where equality considerations are relevant:
‘Please provide a copy of your equality policy and highlight how it relates to the elimination of discrimination in the provision of the services which are the subject of this tender.’
‘The contractor is required to have appropriate equality, bullying and harassment, and other appropriate workplace policies in place and comply with them in the delivery of this contract. This should include having appropriate grievance mechanisms in place to enable the contractor’s workers to raise any concerns about their own workplace and staff, or the authority’s workplace and staff’
‘The contractor is required to have an appropriate sub-contracting policy in place to ensure that sub-contractors comply with employment and equality law, contractual agreements and abide by any relevant collective agreements in the delivery of this contract’
'Please explain what arrangements you will make to ensure that the authority’s equality duties are supported and what action you will take to eliminate discrimination in the delivery of this contract’
‘Please describe how your employment policies and practices in the delivery of the services have due regard to the need to promote equality of treatment and opportunity.’
‘The contractor shall at all times comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and all other related statutory and regulatory requirements. Where the contractor’s staff work on the authority’s premises or alongside authority staff they will comply with the requirements of the authority’s policies and procedures relating to equal opportunities, and shall not treat any person or group of people less favourably than another on the grounds of age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation. Copies of the authority’s policies and procedures relating to equal opportunities are available on request.’
‘In carrying out work under this contract, the contractor should take all opportunities to make recommendations that would enable the authority to prevent discrimination more effectively or to promote wider access to the authority’s services or premises.’
‘The contractor must ensure that all written information produced or used in connection with this contract i.e. signage, written correspondence, internet pages is as accessible as possible to disabled people and to people whose level of literacy in English is limited.’
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