Sustainability requirements are becoming increasingly important alongside quality and cost in procurements. These requirements stem from the strategies of HUS and of municipal customers, but they also reflect a general shift in consumer behavior, which manifests itself in customers’ increased awareness of sustainability issues. The impacts of HUS operations concern material flows and energy consumption in medical care and its support functions and, indirectly through supply chains, manufacturing conditions in the countries where products purchased are produced.
Our major product categories are healthcare supplies, medical devices and various services. We engage in procurement in global markets.
According to a study conducted in 2019, there were three countries among our largest sources of supplies that are classified as risk countries according to the BSCI classification: China, Malaysia and Mexico.
HUS service procurement comprises direct procurement – mainly specialist medical care and ambulance services – and indirect procurement as with support services such as ICT, consultant, transport and property services. The services procured are mainly produced in Finland. Significant foreign supply may be found in certain ICT services, such as cloud computing services and system development services.
Sustainability considerations in service procurement are variable and are based on a case-by-case impact assessment. Environmental criteria are considered for instance in the procurement of transport services, property services as applicable and printing services. Corporate social responsibility is monitored through inspections as required in the Act on the Contractor’s Obligations and Liability when Work is Contracted Out for those service procurements to which the Act applies.