With initial backing from businesses including BT Group, The Disability Trading Framework is a voluntary set of principles and actions to guide organisations to adopt and embed accessibility, equity, and inclusion into procurement processes and boost supplier diversity.  

Intended to tackle inequality and unlock economic growth by supporting and providing a benchmark for organisations across the public and private sectors, this new framework had been developed collaboratively by Small Business Britain with the Disability Trading Framework Taskforce and will be administered by Business Disability Forum.

Signatories to the new Disability Trading Framework commit to follow best-practice requirements across six core areas, including driving inclusive procurement practices and raising visibility of Disabled-led businesses in supply chains, as well as actively embracing internal training and awareness, promoting disability inclusion and inclusive process design. The key commitments include:

• Inclusive Procurement Practices: involving Disabled entrepreneurs to review and modify procurement policies to ensure that procurement portals, documentation, and bidding processes are fully accessible
• Supplier Diversity and Inclusion: incorporate the inclusion of Disabled entrepreneurs as a core element of the organisation’s overall supplier diversity strategy
• Internal Training and Awareness: train procurement and buying teams on the specific challenges faced by Disabled business owners
• Promotion of Disability Inclusion: actively promote the inclusion of Disabled business owners in supply chain communications, highlighting successes and sharing best practices
• Inclusive Process Design: involve Disabled entrepreneurs in the development and refinement of procurement processes to ensure they are fully accessible and inclusive
• Proactive Engagement and Support: actively promote a pro-disability buying strategy, encouraging Disabled entrepreneurs to engage with procurement teams by providing clear guidance, outreach, and tailored support

While Disabled founders represent 25% of the UK’s 5.6 million small business owners, they account for just 8.6% of business turnover.

The Disability Trading Framework follows wider progress to enhance opportunities for Disabled founders through The Lilac Review – an independent, Government-backed Review to address and overcome the barriers facing the nation’s Disabled entrepreneurs. It estimated that levelling-up entrepreneurial opportunity for Disabled entrepreneurs could unlock an additional £230 billion in business turnover across the UK.

Following a two-year inquiry The Lilac Review published its final landmark report in May, issuing over 20 recommendations for central and local government, financial institutions, and business support organisations to build a more inclusive economy.

It has since launched The LILAC Centre for Disabled Entrepreneurship – the UK’s first flagship business incubator and research centre dedicated to advancing the success of Disabled entrepreneurs. With a hybrid physical and virtual model, hosted at ARU Peterborough and Small Business Britain, the Centre will champion innovation, leadership and inclusive enterprise.

This move also follows the launch of a new Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship last year, to improve access to finance and tackle inequality for Disabled entrepreneurs, with backing from the UK Government, major high street banks and the wider finance industry.

The new Disability Trading Framework has been developed to recognise organisations that are keen to diversify their supply chains and boost accessibility.

“With around a quarter of entrepreneurs in the UK being Disabled, far too many can find themselves hitting barriers to trade due to complex and inaccessible supply chains,” said Michelle Ovens CBE, CEO and Founder of Small Business Britain.

“Disabled entrepreneurs have so much to offer and this new Trading Framework will help unlock greater growth, opportunity and innovation for the wider UK economy. By championing and supporting the brilliant organisations leading the way on inclusive procurement, we hope to inspire and encourage more to adopt these principles and follow suit in signing up to these vital and powerful commitments.”

Signatories of the Disability Trading Framework commit to embedding the guiding principles over time, with plans for an annual self-reporting mechanism to share progress and identify support needs. This is set to include a procurement learning network to exchange knowledge, challenges, and practice.

Cyril Pourrat, Chief Procurement Officer, BT Group, said: “Disabled entrepreneurs face too many barriers when it comes to accessing supply chains. And that needs to change. As one of the first signatories to the Disability Trading Framework, BT is taking action to make its procurement more inclusive and accessible. We encourage other organisations to step up, sign the framework, and work with us to build a fairer business ecosystem for all.”

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