Member update: Introducing a new procurement and partnerships policy

Professor Kyle Grayson (BISA Chair) introduces BISA's new 'Procurement and partnerships policy'.

Dear Members

In late May, I announced that our Association would be taking a significant step forward by developing guidelines for our procurement and partnership practices. Each year, BISA spends approximately £200k on direct costs that involve external procurement. We also have approximately £300k in bank accounts to support our operational spend and mitigate financial risks that come from being a charity with variable income. The impetus for a set of guidelines was driven by our commitment to ensuring that all aspects of BISA's operations align with our core values as a charitable organisation dedicated to promoting and developing International Studies in the United Kingdom and beyond.

Work took place at pace over the summer, and I am pleased that say that we now have a formal Procurement and partnership policy to guide BISA into the future.

When auditing our current practices, we found that many already align with the standards this policy enshrines. By way of recent examples:

• BISA entered relationships with catering suppliers for the BISA 2024 conference who donated excess food to local charities/food banks.
• BISA has sought to ensure conference items such as badges are more environmentally sustainable, and has eliminated conference packs to reduce the environment impact of the conference and waste.

With our commitment to these principles and practices, it also became clear that we need to change our main banking provider. We have therefore begun this process in order to move to a financial institution committed to more ethical banking practices. As a charity with specific requirements and legal responsibilities, our previous experience has been that changing banking providers takes between 12-24 months to complete. We will update members as this progresses.

Best wishes

Professor Kyle Grayson

Chair of BISA