1. Please provide your LA definition for “local” in regard to the procurement of goods and services. Note: if you do not have a specific definition, please offer guidance to ASC providers as to how they should consider this in regard to supporting your LA.
There isn’t a definition for “local” within the procurement governance rules.
In ASC when we consider ""local"" providers we look within Borough and our neighbouring LAs for companies with their registered office in those areas.

2. Please provide your LA definition for “minority” in instances such as minority-owned businesses and similar contexts. Note: if you do not have a specific definition, please offer guidance to ASC providers as to how they should consider this in regard to supporting your LA.
At this time, we have no definition, policy or practice specific to minority owned businesses. All businesses are assessed on our standard due diligence and procurement procedures.

3. Please state any energy commitments your LA are implementing over the next 1-3 years, and what you require from ASC providers to help achieve your LA commitments to net zero carbon ambitions etc.
Energy commitments:
Support from all sectors, including ASC providers, will be crucial towards the council’s aspiration of doing as much as possible to be carbon neutral by 2030, through providers similarly adopting this approach and goal themselves. Within this, there are many individual actions which can be taken to reduce emissions and reach carbon neutral as an organisation, alongside providing other benefits such as lower running costs and greater air quality. Our Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) outlines several areas and examples of projects we are currently working on to do this, which could similarly be applied within the ASC sector. These include:
• Retrofitting buildings to minimise energy usage and supplementing remaining requirements through renewable energy sources or contracts.
• Utilising low carbon transport options, including electric vehicles, active travel and public transport where possible.
• Minimising waste by reusing and recycling end materials.
• Encouraging chosen suppliers to also follow these approaches, to minimise scope 3 emissions.
• Ensuring any new development/construction takes into account these principles and considers the embodied carbon within.
• Supporting local carbon sequestration projects.

One early step which can be taken now to help assess and plan optimal actions for each specific provider towards the above, is to set a carbon neutral target and outline an action plan to reach this. There are many options which can further support this assessment and delivery process, such as following the BS EN ISO 140001 certification process, as this provides a guide through the process and nationally recognised accreditation on completion

Specific requirements of ASC providers: We would expect providers we contract with and those operating in the area to support us in meeting our aims for example using electric cars and an eco friendly supply chain.

4. Please can you provide a copy of, or a link to your current ESG policy statement, guidance, support and/or commitments or requirements as an LA.
We do not hold an ESG policy.
We have a number of documents that cover this available from our website, including, but not limited to:
Climate Emergency Action Plan, Wokingham Borough Equality Profile, Wokingham Borough Equality Plan 2021-25, Tackling poverty strategy, Wokingham Borough Council equality monitoring workforce report, Wokingham Borough Constitution, and internally held policies relating to conduct, health and safety, recruitment, workforce.

5. Please provide information relating to any requirements necessary in respect of ESG for ASC providers to work with your LA, and state any weighting or scoring this may have on your decision to work with such ASC provider now or in the future.
This is not currently included in our tender processes for ASC providers but we are looking to embed these requirements in future tenders, where relevant.