Strengthening ethical procurement
Our approach
In FY26, we continued to build a more ethical and resilient supply chain. With rising risks including climate change, economic instability and modern slavery, we maintained and sharpened our sourcing strategy through supply chain mapping, ESG health checks and improved onboarding processes. While most of our services are self-delivered, we rely on a wide network of suppliers for materials and labour, giving us a clear responsibility to influence ethical practices throughout our value chain.
We fully comply with the Modern Slavery Act and embed human rights protections into our policies, training and risk management processes. Our approach includes targeted training, supplier engagement and regular audits to ensure high standards are met and maintained throughout the contract lifecycle.
Training on modern slavery and ethical sourcing is focused on Legal, Procurement and Contract Management teams, with wider awareness delivered through our Action Now platform and the Supply Chain Sustainability School, ensuring all colleagues can identify and respond to modern slavery risks wherever they arise.
Key achievements in FY26
100%
score on the government’s Modern Slavery Assessment Tool
87%
Labour Standards Assessment
Zero
incidents of modern slavery identified within our supply chain in FY26
Sustainability and social value supplier charter
One of the most significant supply chain developments in FY26 was the launch of our supplier Sustainability and Social Value Charter. This publicly communicated document establishes clear expectations for all Mitie suppliers across environmental performance, social responsibility and ethical conduct.
The Charter marks a deliberate shift from compliance-based supplier management towards active partnership, recognising that sustainable outcomes depend on collaboration, capability-building and shared accountability. It is supported by our Sustainability and Social Value Supplier Policy, which reinforces principles of fairness, inclusion and environmental responsibility across the supply base.
Our Charter has been positively received by supply chain partners, with early engagement strengthening collaboration in support of Plan Thrive and Plan Zero.
Mitie remains one of just 30 members of Social Enterprise UK’s Buy Social Corporate Challenge, a national initiative aiming to spend £1bn with social enterprises by 2026. We continue to deepen our partnerships with Social Enterprise UK and MSDUK, connecting with more social and minority-owned businesses and regularly onboarding new diverse suppliers through contract mobilisations. We have committed to hosting a MSDUK meet-the-buyer event at The Shard in September 2026.
Modern Slavery Framework
Mitie has been engaged by the Cabinet Office to codify its approach to tackling modern slavery into a structured framework for use across the Strategic Supplier community, marking a significant milestone in our work under the Cabinet Office’s Partnership Executive Meeting (PEM), and reflecting a full transition from compliance to sector leadership.
The framework translates Mitie’s operational model, controls and governance into a clear, practical and transferable standard for wider adoption. This positions Mitie as a mature, trusted supplier and also as a benchmark for good practice across the public sector supply base.
This achievement is the culmination of a multi-year journey, evidenced across Mitie’s 2023, 2024 and 2025 Modern Slavery Statements, which chart a clear progression in maturity:
- 2023: Baseline controls established across recruitment, supplier management and internal practices, anchored in a zero-tolerance commitment to modern slavery and full compliance with the Modern Slavery Act.
- 2024: Due diligence formalised, with enhanced third-party screening and stronger risk identification across the supply chain, supported by closer collaboration with government and industry stakeholders.
- 2025: A mature, risk-based approach embedded across procurement, HR and operations, aligned to Cabinet Office expectations and UK Government guidance, including systematic due diligence and strengthened governance and oversight.
Throughout, Mitie has aligned its approach with evolving statutory guidance and Procurement Policy Notes, shifting towards an evidence-led model built on auditable processes, consistent reporting and clear accountability.
The delivery of this framework marks the conclusion of Mitie’s PEM commitment in relation to modern slavery, but its significance extends beyond Mitie itself. By codifying our approach for use across the Strategic Supplier community, we’re helping raise standards across the wider public sector supply base.
Payment practices
Mitie maintained its commitment to prompt and transparent payment practices in FY26. On average, invoices were paid within 40 days from the date the contractual or statutory payment term begins, with a target of paying 97% of suppliers within 60 days. Strong digital controls, supported by our Coupa supplier platform, continue to protect SME suppliers from late payment and reinforce the trust that underpins our supplier relationships.
Strengthening supply chain governance: Mandated Preferred Supplier List
Mitie has introduced new system-level controls ensuring that only reviewed and approved preferred and client nominated suppliers can be used across designated spend categories, directly strengthening the governance and due diligence that underpin Mitie's approach to responsible and ethical sourcing.
By embedding supplier controls directly into procurement systems, Mitie ensures that spend can only be directed to suppliers who have already been assessed and approved, reducing the risk of engaging unvetted third parties. This is reinforced by Mitie’s No PO, No Pay policy, which requires all third-party spend to be authorised through Mitie’s core systems, closing off routes for off-system, unauthorised supplier agreements.
This system-led approach complements Mitie’s wider work on modern slavery and ethical supply chain management, ensuring due diligence is not just policy-led but structurally enforced, and that every supplier used across mandated categories has already passed the assessment and approval required to appear on the list. In doing so, Mitie strengthens oversight of labour standards, ethical practices and risk management across its extended supply chain, supporting the same evidence-led, auditable model of governance reflected in Mitie’s Modern Slavery Framework.
By moving supplier governance from manual compliance to system-enforced control, Mitie continues to build a supply chain that is more transparent, accountable and resilient, reinforcing its position as a responsible, trusted partner across the sectors it serves.
Streamlining procurement support through digital transformation
Mitie has launched a new Procurement Ticketing Helpdesk, consolidating all procurement support into a single, digitally enabled system, improving responsiveness, transparency and efficiency for colleagues and suppliers alike. The new platform replaces a fragmented network of procurement mailboxes with one centralised portal. Colleagues with a mitie.com email address can now raise procurement tickets directly through the Helpdesk portal, while those without access can do so via a dedicated email address, which automatically generates a ticket in the system. Suppliers have also been given a single point of contact, ensuring all queries are logged and tracked consistently in one place.
This change delivers several key benefits:
- Consolidated support – a single system for all procurement queries, enabling quicker responses and smoother processes.
- Improved tracking – every ticket is logged, ensuring full traceability and accountability.
- Greater visibility – complete email log history supports transparency and continuous improvement.
The transition reflects Mitie’s broader commitment to digital transformation and operational efficiency, replacing manual, dispersed communication channels with a structured, auditable system. Looking ahead, Mitie is also developing a self-serve frequently asked questions and support hub, further empowering colleagues and suppliers to resolve queries quickly and independently.
Why this matters for responsible supply chain management
A fully logged, auditable ticketing system strengthens the governance and integrity of Mitie’s supply chain, creating a clear, traceable record of every supplier interaction that supports transparent, evidence-led due diligence. It also ensures suppliers, including smaller businesses, receive consistent, timely responses, reducing the risk of queries falling through gaps between disconnected mailboxes.
By replacing siloed communication with a single, governed system, Mitie strengthens the accountability and control that responsible, ethical supply chain management depends on.