Corporate
Procurement and Vendor Partnerships
How we choose suppliers, agree terms and pay them. Long relationships, written terms and no late payment.
A supplier relationship that survives three difficult cycles is worth more than the discount someone else offers in the fourth.
A principal, Kaelo Global
Procurement at Kaelo Global is a shared standard carried out by each activity. The approach is consistent. We prefer long relationships to rotating panels of suppliers, we put terms in writing, and we pay on time. The textile desk has worked with some of its suppliers for many years, and that standard travels into everything else we buy.
Kaelo Global procurement is deliberately unfashionable. We do not run a tender for the sake of it, we do not squeeze a supplier to the point where the quality has to drop, and we do not use late payment to manage our own cash. A supplier who trusts us answers the phone when something urgent happens.
New suppliers are added when we genuinely need the capacity or the capability, after checks that are documented and applied the same way whatever the size of the business.
Choosing suppliers
We prefer long relationships. Onboarding covers legal, financial and operating checks, references are taken, and new suppliers are added only when the capacity or capability is genuinely needed. Adding a supplier we do not need creates work for both sides and weakens the relationships we already have.
Contracting standard
Written terms for goods, services, professional work and software subscriptions, with clear clauses on termination, ownership of work and data protection. Nothing significant runs on an informal arrangement.
Payment discipline
We pay within the terms agreed. We do not stretch payment to manage our own cash, because our reputation with suppliers is worth more than the few weeks it would buy.
Keeping the supplier base healthy
Limits on how much depends on any one supplier where that matters, relationship reviews held directly, and longer notice for suppliers who have been with us a long time.
Fair treatment of small suppliers
Freelancers and small businesses are paid on the same terms as everyone else, and we do not ask for free work in a pitch. A small supplier feels a late payment immediately, and we have been small enough ourselves to remember that.
Standards that carry down the chain
Suppliers confirm in writing that they meet our standards on labour and conduct, and that they pass the same requirements on to their own subcontractors.
How it is governed
Written onboarding
Checks cover legal, financial, environmental and operating matters. References are taken, terms are negotiated and the scope is documented before any work starts.
Contracting standard
Written terms across goods, services, professional work and subscriptions, with clauses on termination, ownership of work, data protection and how disputes are handled.
Payment discipline
Payment within the agreed terms, every time. Late payment is treated as a failure on our side instead of a financial tactic.
Concentration and resilience
Where it matters, we limit how much depends on a single supplier, particularly in the sourcing relationships behind the textile trade. Relationship reviews are held once a year.
When to come to us
- 01You are a supplier whose work fits what we buy, and an introduction has been made.
- 02You are an existing supplier with a renewal approaching and want the context in writing.
- 03You are a regulator or auditor whose work covers evidence of supplier conduct.
- 04You work with us and need to align with the standards we apply to our own suppliers.
What we do not do
- Running tenders designed only to find the lowest price. Quality that has to be rebuilt later costs more.
- Accepting gifts or hospitality outside the documented limits, which are set in compliance and ethics.
- Paying late to manage cash. Late payment is an operating failure, not a lever.
- Keeping suppliers whose labour or conduct standards we could not defend, as set out in our modern slavery statement.
The supplier relationship is the supply chain.
Some of our suppliers have worked with us for many years. The discipline that earned those relationships is the same one we apply to every new supplier we take on today.
Long relationships are an operating asset.
When a shipment goes wrong or a deadline moves, a supplier who has been treated well for years will find a way to help. That is difficult to price and easy to lose.
Governance & policies
We share full policy documents with counterparties and regulators on request. Internal governance papers are not published on this site, and if you need one for due diligence, please ask us.
Common questions
