See the world how you want it to be, and then make it that way
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About All Things Procurement (ATP)
Hi, I'm Gillian Askew
I'm a career Procurer, a Fellow of CIPS, an experienced small business owner and have developed an expertise in sustainable and responsible business. I founded ATP as a Social Enterprise and my aim is to ensure that socially responsible outcomes underpin EVERY procurement in the public sector.
Whether you are in the industry sector, a VCSE or public sector organisation, I can help you find your way through transforming your business to maximise your social, environmental & economic contributions. If you are serious about your social outputs but struggling to find the right path for your organisation, help is at hand.
All Things Procurement (ATP) also has associates who are skilled in Health & Safety, Public Procurement Regulations, Construction & Health & Care so whatever your sector is, ATP should have someone who speaks your language.
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Do you want to make an impact on our planet and your communities and learn how to embed social value in your organisation?
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In 2019 I approached the Federation of Small Businesses asking if I could work with them on trying to make it easier for small businesses to access and work in the public sector. They invited me to set up and Chair a Special Interest Group (SIG). The SIG is made up of small businesses and public sector organisations and our one exam question is centred around that widening participation agenda. We have 4 activity streams in the SIG, one of which is SME/VCSE development program. We've called it Go4Growth and it's a free (forever) program and community. Go4Growth as a team is made up of several small businesses working together to help other SMEs and VCSEs to navigate the sometimes complex world of the Public Sector. We have a built a program that we believe can help any smaller business, regardless of type. Here are just a few of our current focus areas: 1. Helping businesses to grow in the Public Sector 2. Building relationships or taking the first steps to supply the Public Sector 3. Collaborative working or consortia/partnerships 4. Building greater economic resilience for the future 5. Recovering from the impacts of COVID-19 6. Dealing with Brexit, environmental or other issues Our program offers support in various ways; our aim is to ensure it's accessible to everyone, personalised to your business so support is given in a way that makes the most sense and adds the most value to you. I'm really proud to be Go4Growth, I'm proud of the program, how quickly we have developed it and how only a few weeks in we are seeing more and more businesses get involved so already we're identifying barriers and helping businesses to overcome them. For any small businesses or VCSEs out there reading this blog, give me a shout. The program is there to help you grow in the public sector and connect you with a fast growing business community. Gill gill@go4growth.co.uk www.twitter.com/Go4Growth_UK www.LinkedIn.com/Company/Go4Growth www.facebook.com/Go4GrowthUK www.facebook.com/groups/Go4Growth
This week I wanted to write something that relates directly to the ethos of All Things Procurement – the social enterprise I run – which is ‘see the world how you want it to be then make it that way’. So I’m going to talk about the kind of world I want to live in and the things I’m doing to contribute to making that world a reality. To do that I need to give you some background. I’m a 47 year old woman and I adore the profession I chose (albeit by accident) way back in 1995. I’m what I lovingly call a ‘career procurer’. It’s what I do, it’s part of who I am and it’s given me so many opportunities over the years to really make a difference. I feel very lucky to have the career I’ve had but I will admit, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. Women in business I’ve worked in some sectors where my gender has definitely made it more difficult for me and I’ve felt the weight and pressure of that sadly many times. The need to work harder, be better, smarter, funnier even than my male counterparts and I’ve been that director where when I entered a boardroom full of my male peers, the quip was “Oh good, she’s here. Now we can have coffee” or being told I should categorically re-think the role I was about to undertake because no female executive had done it before, or when I got divorced to be told I was now “fair game”. It's not a small list sadly, and thankfully things have improved over the years but there is still much more to be done. Have those experiences soured me? No. Have they made me champion women in business? Absolutely yes. Last year I joined a Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Women in Entrepreneurship group because I want to help young women feel empowered to set up their own businesses. I want to support and mentor other females who have the burning desire to do great things but may not have the confidence to get started. I’ve been a part of women in business and women in procurement groups for years, all of which are designed to help women forge their careers without apology. I will do all I can to help women navigate their chosen career path because sometimes; all it takes is for somebody to see your potential, and help you take the all important first step in the right direction. Judge me on my talent Does any of this make me a feminist? I’ve often wondered about this over the years. I’m not a fan of labels, but I guess if I had one it would more likely be that of an individualist. I want to live in a world where your success is driven by your own ambition and on your talent; and those things alone. I want to live in a genuine meritocracy where the barriers to entry don’t exist and the equality of opportunity is tangible. I want to be judged on what I do and how I do it; my values, talent and work ethic. This is evident in how I am shaping All Things Procurement which is founded on the principles of widening participation. I’m focussing right now on helping the small business and VCSE communities access the public sector where it can be notoriously difficult for smaller organisations. I am helping to help shape the public sector into a place where every business has the same ability to access. I am both a small business and a public sector procurement professional and have been for many years now, so having the insight from both perspectives helps me make sense of how to level the playing field better. I am helping to create more local employment opportunities, build resilience into local economies, increase the social and economic outputs for communities and spend the taxpayers’ money better. Building diversity into the supply chain I’m focussing on helping make the public sector business environment both traversable and accessible for small businesses and VCSE’s. I’m happy to say I’m not alone in this and in doing so, the process itself starts to naturally build diversity into the supply chain. It’s a big ask and I’m grateful that the Special Interest Group I chair on behalf of the FSB is full of people who have the same ambition and aspirations. It takes real commitment and passion to drive through change and we’re starting to make a real difference. I’m Gillian. And I’ve seen the world how I want it to be and I’m doing my bit to make it that way.
There’s a real juxtaposition when I think about the re-opening of society and what the ‘new normal’ will look like. Economically we need to recover. The economic devastation COVID-19 has and continues to cause is as widespread as the disease itself. But the cost of human life will always be too high a price to pay and so balancing economic recovery and the need to protect life feels to me like a balancing act like no other. The Public sector is open for business? I’ve been really impressed by the MAT board I recently joined, as we look at the guidelines being set out by the government. Pragmatically working out how we can best prepare for and support the children and parents of those year groups included to return to school first, but also how we do so with everyone’s safety in mind too. And of course like many other schools, ours also never actually closed. Small businesses all over the country are in perilous financial positions – some have already gone under. I saw a post this week on Twitter saying the public sector is open for business. But I wonder, is it really? It took a while for the bid notices to slow down granted but I haven't personally seen them come increase significantly yet. I have a ton of questions right now in terms of what the market will look like post COVID; including how we recover economically, how long will it take and who needs to do what? Supporting the small business community These are all questions our Special Interest Group are asking during our content meetings. We’re working hard on behalf of and in conjunction with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), to develop a suite of resources to support small businesses who either want to start a commercial relationship within the public sector, or want to grow their existing business within the public sector and of course now, we’re considering how we support small businesses to recover. What is clear from some of the networking groups I’m part of is that there’s a real focus within the public sector on supporting the small business community as we try to re-start the economy. This is good news, no doubt about it, but ‘how’ we go about remains a bit elusive, which is why our Special Interest Group is looking focussing on the ‘how’. How can we help small businesses recover; grow, and in time thrive? Our brief has always been about widening participation for small businesses within the public sector but what COVID-19 has done is really move this topic up the agenda within the public sector itself. Navigating through uncertain times In virtual meetings all across our nation we’re individually and collectively trying to address the question of local supply chains and how the public sector can support local economic recovery in the short term. But also to build more stable, agile and scalable local supply chains so that should we ever be faced with a crisis of this magnitude again, local economies are prepared for it, withstand it and come out the other side intact. It's not a simple ask. Not least because the data environment simply doesn't exist in the way that it should. There’s no single data set that lays out what the local business landscape looks like, nor is there one single public sector pipeline and these things make recovery difficult to navigate. It’s also worth remembering that in the midst of COVID-19, is our exit from the EU and the need to reform the public contracting regulations which will also change how we do business in the UK. Working at pace Our Special Interest Group is working at pace to create recommendations for the FSB on how we can support small businesses, where we need to influence government policy, where we need to lobby for changes in legislation and what tangible help might look like. Then of course, we need to assess how quickly we can get that available help to the small business community. This virus has caused untold devastation to our nation and we are duty bound to make sure some good can come out of it where possible. If, as a result of all this, the small business community becomes more visible and more integral to the supply of the public sector, that’s one positive. Also making the process of engaging local business more simplified and accessible would be a very long overdue win and I truly hope this happens. My colleagues in the Special Interest Group and I are doing all we can to help make it that way.
