Researchers in the UK have warned that the public sector’s ethical procurement practices are “significantly less advanced” than in the private sector, raising questions about the integrity of public sector supply chains – writes Government News. Dr Kanchana Ruwanpura from the University of Edinburgh reports that “There are more initiatives pushing ethical procurement in the private sector and our research found that public procurement is around 20 years behind in terms of standards … There are key challenges for public sector procurement given the relatively little attention it receives, and the fact that many of the materials used in public services have a low profile for consumer groups … This consequently limits reputational risk for state departments and first-tier suppliers if labour issues are encountered in their supply chains.” She argues that Government procurement contracts should crackdown more on non-compliance with ethical codes of conduct and ensure that they align with the objectives of the Modern Slavery Act. Read the full article here.