DataGardener

  What Is Responsible Procurement? Responsible procurement is the practice of sourcing suppliers ethically, weighing diversity, financial stability and social value alongside cost. In practice, this means actively considering whether suppliers are female-owned, ethnic minority-led, veteran-owned, B Corp certified, or classified as a Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) — while also checking that they are financially sound enough to deliver. In the UK, this isn't just good practice anymore. The Procurement Act 2023 has placed new obligations on public sector buyers to be more transparent, fair and inclusive in how contracts are awarded, with explicit emphasis on social value, SME access and supplier diversity. Organisations that can't evidence how their spend breaks down are increasingly exposed — both to compliance risk and to reputational risk. Why Procurement Teams Are Struggling to Keep Up Most procurement functions still track their supplier base in spr...

 Procurement used to be a simple equation: find the lowest price, sign the contract, move on. That approach no longer holds up. Boards, regulators and customers now expect procurement teams to show who they buy from, not just what they pay. This shift has a name — Responsible Procurement — and it is fast becoming a core requirement for public bodies and private organisations alike across the UK. What Is Responsible Procurement? Responsible procurement is the practice of sourcing suppliers ethically, weighing diversity, financial stability and social value alongside cost. In practice, this means actively considering whether suppliers are female-owned, ethnic minority-led, veteran-owned, B Corp certified, or classified as a Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) — while also checking that they are financially sound enough to deliver. In the UK, this isn't just good practice anymore. The Procurement Act 2023 has placed new obligations on public sector buyers to be ...

  Finding the right merger or acquisition target used to mean months of manual research, outdated spreadsheets, and a lot of guesswork. Today, that approach simply can't keep pace with how fast markets move. Businesses that want to grow through M&A need a smarter, data-backed way to identify targets, evaluate risk, and act before opportunities disappear. That's where M&A Intelligence platforms are changing the game, giving dealmakers a clear, evidence-based view of which companies are genuinely ready for a merger or acquisition — and which are not. What Is M&A Intelligence? M&A Intelligence is the practice of using structured company data — financials, ownership, risk signals, growth trends, and operational indicators — to identify, assess, and prioritise acquisition or merger targets. Rather than relying on rumour, cold outreach, or incomplete public filings, teams can filter an entire market down to the businesses that actually match their investment cri...

  International Trade is the backbone of modern business growth, yet most companies still operate with limited visibility into who's importing, who's exporting, and how currency shifts are shaping the market. Access to accurate, real-time trade data changes that — turning guesswork into a clear, actionable strategy. Why International Trade Data Matters Every cross-border decision depends on timing and information. Knowing which businesses are increasing import volumes, diversifying suppliers, or entering new markets allows companies to act before competitors do. Verified international trade data gives you exactly that — a transparent view of commodity flows, trading partners, and shifting market patterns that would otherwise stay hidden. Spotting Opportunities Through Exchange Rate Impact Currency fluctuations directly affect how much importers and exporters pay for goods. Businesses tracking exchange rate movements can identify the precise moment a company's trading cos...

 As the UK moved into the second month of the new financial year, the latest UK Business Insights numbers told a story of businesses settling into a rhythm rather than chasing the burst of activity that typically follows April's fresh start. The Headline Numbers May saw over 71,100 new company incorporations — a slight pullback from April's 72,300, but still a strong showing that points to sustained entrepreneurial confidence. Alongside this, 14,200 charges were registered and 7,600 County Court Judgments (CCJs) were filed, both down from the previous month. Company dissolutions ticked upward, with more than 59,300 businesses closing compared to 55,300 in April — a pattern often seen as firms review viability once the new financial year is underway, rather than acting on impulse in the first weeks. Where the Growth Is Happening London remains the country's undisputed hub for new business formation, adding nearly 25,000 companies in the month. The South East and N...

  Most procurement teams can tell you how many suppliers they have. Very few can tell you how that base breaks down by ownership, risk, mission or size - and under the Procurement Act 2023, that gap is becoming a real compliance problem. This is exactly the gap that Procurement Intelligence from DataGardener closes. Instead of relying on outdated spreadsheets and manual research, procurement teams get a live, searchable database of 5 million+ active UK companies, paired with a real-time dashboard that shows precisely where the budget is going and who it is going to. Classify your existing suppliers automatically Upload your current supplier list and the platform tags each one by ownership type (female-owned, ethnic minority-owned, veteran-owned), mission (B Corp, net-zero, VCSE), financial risk band and company size. What used to take weeks of manual cross-referencing now happens in minutes, giving procurement leads a complete, accurate picture of their supplier base without the ...