Code of Practice

In dealing with the Supply Chain, AWE will:

• Maintain its Procurement Policies and Procedures and communicate these to potential suppliers who seek to be informed;

• Express its Procurement and Contracting Policies and Procedures in a simple, clear and complete manner, so that they can be understood by Companies and individuals that have not encountered them before;

• Create and maintain appropriate professional relationships with suppliers;

• Implement its Procurement Policies and Procedures in an impartial, fair, equitable and consistent manner whilst seeking to establish relationships with suppliers by fairness, integrity and consistency of dealing, avoiding and rejecting any improper practices;

• Provide accurate and adequate information so as not to mislead its suppliers;

• Respect information received from prospective suppliers and where that information is not already in the public domain, not to release that information to others except as expressly agreed by the owner; and

• Award contracts through competitively based selection processes where feasible by:

• Giving potential selected bidders sufficient notice of any intended procurement;

• Only seeking bids for work from prospective qualified suppliers where there is a fixed and clear intention to place a contract for that work;

• Seeking to encourage innovation and alternative solutions that offer better value for money and seek to apply national standards of quality and performance;

• Stating its contract requirements clearly in performance terms that can be objectively measured and that do not unnecessarily restrict the method of implementation;

• Providing each bidder with the same information and allowing them the same opportunities; and

• An impartial assessment of competing offers from responsible suppliers for compliance with the stated requirements, including quality, safety, delivery, security issues and whole-life costs as appropriate.

• Enter into and properly perform commitments in a timely manner with integrity and where appropriate, enter into alliances or partnering agreements with everything that these arrangements entail:

• Provide feedback and advice to its suppliers on current and future performance requirements and unsuccessful bids;

• Promptly supply its suppliers with relevant information necessary for safe working practices and for the effective and safe handling and operation of equipment and facilities made available by AWE within which the suppliers will be required to work or interface;

• Ensure that its suppliers are paid promptly after the approval of properly presented invoices, or otherwise in accordance with the terms of contract;

• Not use its buying power unfairly in its treatment of suppliers, nor to take advantage of any inexperience of its suppliers;

• Eliminate activities which, during the performance of a contract, seek to obtain from the supplier information or performance that is not required by the contract, except by means of a contract amendment for which a consideration is fairly negotiated;

• Conduct its oversight activities during the performance of the contract in such a manner as not to cause disruption, delay or additional cost to the performance of the contract;

• Promptly accept goods or services that are tendered in accordance with the contract requirements or promptly notifying the supplier of the reasons for rejection;

• Give the supplier a reasonable opportunity to correct any non-compliance with contract requirements; and

• Establish an effective system of handling complaints and disputes from suppliers aimed at solving the problem and providing a satisfactory resolution.

• Deal with contractual claims promptly, sincerely and fairly.