Co-op Sound Sourcing

1. In order to help you decide whether your organisation is maintaining Sound Sourcing, have a look at the Co-op Code that relates with each criterion. You should then get an idea of the sorts of standards that the Co-op expects you to achieve.

2. As the Co-op Code expects legal compliance as the minumimum standard, you need to check that you are complying with your national laws. Just in case you haven't got them to hand, the Law screens spell out the UK law and what this means for you, for those suppliers outside the UK links direct you to where and how you can find your country law.

3. We suggest you take the next steps with help from other people in your company (see Assess). You now have to make a judgement about your company's performance for each criteria by using the question / answer "Assess" pages. Dont click 'yes' to everything, as we know that nobody can be that good...and you want to leave yourself room to improve. When you have completed an Assessment click the Submit button at the bottom of the form and your responses are sent directly to the Co-op Group.

4. You will then develop an Action Plan based on each of the criteria and any short falls you have recognised by completing the Assessment. After designating a responsible person, you will set a target. Targets are useful so that everybody can see progress. So these need to be SMART - Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, Timetabled. You will also spell out when you think the targets can be achieved. When you have completed plans for each criterion enter your targets and planned dates in the continual improvement plan and submit automatically.

You will be able to find your way around wherever you are by using this graphic, which directs through the steps for each criterion.

Make a start with the first criteria...