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Case Study · Avanti West Coast × GoDiverse

How Avanti West Coast turned “approx to zero”
into a verified supplier diversity baseline

A verified baseline of Avanti’s 500+ suppliers across six diversity categories, delivered
for the financial year April 2025 to March 2026.

GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case StudySupplier diversity baseline March 2026
The Challenge
01 / THE STARTING POINT

Over 700 suppliers, and almost no visibility

Avanti West Coast had over 700 suppliers, and almost no visibility on diversity classification behind SME’s and VCSE’s.

Capturing diversity classification at supplier onboarding hadn’t been part of the process, and earlier direct-to-supplier surveys had returned limited information. Francesca Siena, Sustainable Procurement Manager at Avanti, was clear-eyed about where that left them.

Francesca Siena

Supplier diversity is an emerging and increasingly relevant topic. It aligns with our pillars of supporting our community.

Francesca Siena
Sustainable Procurement Manager, Avanti West Coast
GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study02 / 16
The Engagement
02 / THE BRIEF

Baseline the supply chain before designing the strategy

So Avanti West Coast, the train operator running the West Coast Main Line and part of First Group, commissioned GoDiverse to baseline its supply chain before designing any strategy on top of it. We delivered the verified baseline in March 2026, covering Avanti’s suppliers for the financial year April 2025 to March 2026.

500+Suppliers in scope for the baseline
Mar 2026Verified baseline delivered
FY 2025/26April 2025 to March 2026 reporting year
GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study03 / 16
Why Now
03 / WHY NOW

Two pressures converged

Two pressures converged. The Department for Transport requires reporting on SME spend, and the Procurement Act 2023 is sharpening expectations on social value across public-sector procurement. But the trigger Francesca articulates is broader than compliance.

1Department for Transport requires reporting on SME spend.
2Procurement Act 2023 is sharpening expectations on social value across public-sector procurement.

"The knowledge around Supplier Diversity beyond SMEs and VCSEs was approx to zero."

The first step had to be classification. Not strategy, not platform adoption, not targets. Because nothing else is possible until you can see what you’ve got.

GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study04 / 16
Why GoDiverse
04 / WHY AVANTI CHOSE GODIVERSE

Why Avanti chose GoDiverse

Francesca had run her own market scan before commissioning the work.

Broader spectrum · sustainable cost

“What convinced me to go with GoDiverse was the fact that they cover a broader spectrum of diversity compared to other platforms. And the cost element is more sustainable than other platforms as well.”

A proposal shaped around the problem

What also tipped the decision was our willingness to shape the engagement around the problem Avanti actually had, rather than fitting them to a standard product.

“There was a proactive offer beyond the database and the platform that is your core business. A proactive proposal to do something more and customised for us.”

GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study05 / 16
The Approach
05 / WHAT THE WORK LOOKED LIKE IN PRACTICE

A verified baseline, without surveying a single supplier

We analysed Avanti’s selected 500 suppliers using the GoDiverse proprietary algorithm, developed specifically for supplier diversity baselining work. The result is a verified baseline across six diversity categories, with SMEs tracked separately as a size category. No suppliers were surveyed.

GoDiverse proprietary algorithm
Our own algorithm, developed specifically for supplier diversity baselining work.
No suppliers were surveyed
No engagement burden placed on the supply base.
Six diversity categories assessed
Women-ownedEthnic-minority-ownedDisability-ownedVeteran-ownedLGBTQ+-ownedSocial enterprise / VCSE+ SMEs tracked separately as a size category
GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study06 / 16
Client Experience
06 / HOW IT FELT TO THE CLIENT

Thorough and reliable, yet not a burden on suppliers

That last point mattered to Francesca, given that earlier direct-to-supplier outreach hadn’t been an effective fit. Delivery itself ran clean.

No burden on suppliers

“Your work was seamless. Although it was thorough and a good level of reliability, it was not invasive or a burden for the suppliers.”

On time, value added

“The work was delivered according to the timeline agreed, without any issue at all. That was also a value added.”

GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study07 / 16
The Findings
07 / WHAT 500+ SUPPLIERS SHOWED
7.4%
verified diverse-owned

The headline figure

37 of 498 suppliers, or 7.4%, were verified as diverse-owned. It corresponds to c.ca 5% of the full supplier base.

37
suppliers verified diverse-owned
498
suppliers analysed in the baseline
~5%
of the complete supplier base

The report also surfaced disclosure gaps in several diversity categories where supplier data isn’t yet routinely captured at onboarding or available in public sources. Those gaps are an engagement opportunity for the next phase of work, not a finding of absence.

GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study08 / 16
Where The Opportunity Is
08 / GEOGRAPHIC & SECTOR PICTURE

The geographic and sector picture

Geographically, London accounted for the highest volume of suppliers but the lowest diversity rate; the West Midlands and the North West led on diversity rate. By sector, Business Consulting and IT Services emerged as the clearest near-term opportunities for uplift.

Geographic signal
London
Highest volume of suppliers
Lowest diversity rate
W. Midlands & North West
Led on diversity rate
Higher concentration of diverse suppliers
Clearest near-term uplift opportunities
Business Consulting
IT Services

Identified as the clearest sectors to focus near-term diverse-supplier uplift.

GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study09 / 16
The Insight
09 / THE UNEXPECTED INSIGHT

What surprised Francesca wasn’t the gaps. It was something subtler.

This data is not static. We need to be agile in this. This exercise cannot be a one-off.

FSFrancesca Siena
Sustainable Procurement Manager, Avanti West Coast
Why it matters

That observation, that supplier diversity classification is a living dataset rather than an annual stocktake, is now informing how Avanti is thinking about its internal supplier-onboarding processes and data maintenance.

GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study10 / 16
The Impact
10 / WHAT’S CHANGED

From “approx to zero” to a working picture

The report has done what a baseline is meant to do: replaced “approx to zero” with a working picture, and given the procurement team a starting point to build from.

“It is a great basis to start thinking about a supplier diversity strategy. We need to improve our internal process, how we onboard, what questions we ask at the beginning, how we maintain and secure that the data is updated.”

Within the next 12 months
Diverse-spend
target

Within the next twelve months, Francesca expects Avanti West Coast to set a diverse-spend target.

GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study11 / 16
Beyond Onboarding
11 / NOT JUST MORE SUPPLIERS

Not only about onboarding more suppliers

Equally important: the strategy isn’t only about onboarding more diverse suppliers. It’s about whether Avanti’s own processes make those suppliers viable once they’re in.

Easy onboarding
for SMEs & diverse businesses
A retention model
that builds sustainable business

Are our onboarding processes easy enough for SMEs or diverse businesses? Is our retention model feasible enough for them to build a sustainable business? Those are the metrics we should consider.

GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study12 / 16
A Word From GoDiverse
12 / THE SECTOR QUESTION

What matters now is that other organisations don’t have to start from zero. The methodology exists, the categories are defined, and the baseline is achievable without burdening suppliers. The question for the sector is no longer whether this is possible. It’s why anyone would choose not to know.

Vishal Mishra
Co-Founder & CEO, GoDiverse
Vishal Mishra
GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study13 / 16
What Comes Next
13 / WHAT COMES NEXT

Confident enough to open doors

Off the back of this work, Avanti has introduced GoDiverse to colleagues at First Group, Avanti’s parent organisation, and is opening doors to procurement networks Francesca sits on. Asked what gave her the confidence to make those introductions, her answer was direct.

→ First Group→ Procurement networks

“To implement any kind of strategy you need to know your baseline. You need to know your starting point. And you cannot do this kind of work alone. We tried, but the outcome was very limited. I’m truly convinced about the value of the work that GoDiverse does.”

FSFrancesca Siena
Sustainable Procurement Manager, Avanti West Coast
GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study14 / 16
The Recommendation
14 / THE CASE FOR A BASELINE

If you’re a peer looking at the same problem, start with a baseline

If you’re a peer at another rail operator, transport group, or large public-facing organisation looking at the same problem, that is the case for starting with a baseline. Francesca’s own version of the recommendation is shorter.

“Supplier diversity is an emerging and relevant topic to support our community and to support the business. It aligns with the core values not only of Avanti but future GBR.”

GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study15 / 16
Let’s talk

If a baseline is a step you’ve been
putting off, we’d be glad to talk

Write to us
Our friendly team is here to help.
contact@godiverse.co.uk
Visit us
Come say hello at our office HQ.
11-13 Bishops Square,
London, UK E1 8EG
Visit our site
Explore what we do online.
www.godiverse.co.uk
GoDiverse • Avanti West Coast Case Study16 / 16