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Pride in Procurement
Gillian Askew • May 01, 2020
Pride In Procurement
On Thursday 23rd April, I attended a COVID-19 supply chain workshop which explored some of the challenges the health service has faced and is currently facing, as well as lessons learned. A line from one of the speaker’s opening address particularly resonated with me: ‘Public service is what you do, not who pays your salary.’ I couldn’t agree more.
We explored two main actions:
1. Action for now
– to continue the drive to support our country through the pandemic with critical supplies
2. Action for the future
– to prepare for a second wave if there is one, or preparation for if another pandemic hits us in the future
We need to make sure we can use the valuable learnings and experiences from crisis management and future-proof; to make sure we’re as prepared as we can be for any future crises
Using data to predict and prepare
We also heard a lot about data and the usage of it. This was doubly interesting to me as I know it is a key area of focus in the rules reform when looking at what public procurement could look like post Brexit. In terms of a pandemic, being able to better predict the disease path and what will be needed where, when and for how long is crucial to the supply management of something like this. It plays a crucial role into asset usage, because data can tell us where the best place for a product is based on a set of needs and priority parameters. Some may argue that asset utilisation isn’t a new concept and they'd be right, it's not. But doing something like that on a national or even regional basis, especially when you're under this much duress, is incredibly difficult.
Streamlining supply and demand
That being said, the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP) talked through some great examples of how they’ve been doing exactly that in their region. They have in effect, acted as one joint region when looking at product need and provision. It can be complicated to navigate critical need versus comfort stock, but the GMHSCP has been moving supplies around to where it’s needed most, streamlining supply and demand. To give this some context, in terms of PPE, they’re using three or four times as much as they would normally, so in addition to good quality asset utilisation they have had to think creatively about product sourcing.
Think local
One of the outcomes has been around local sourcing. Neil Hind from GMHSCP says that now more than ever it’s absolutely critical to be able to access and optimise your local supply chains or develop new local supply routes. For example, GMHSCP are supporting new manufacturing lines in Manchester. In addition, there’s improved management information and a much more dynamic decision-making processes at play. It’s not lost on me then that in the midst of all the crisis management has come an absolute recognition of the power of procurement. If I may be so bold as to suggest, perhaps another group of unsung heroes in this are those who have been, and continue to be, tireless in their pursuit of product that will help treat this disease and ultimately save lives.
Inundated with support
As a career procurement professional focussing on developing small businesses within the public sector, the ask from Neil at GMHSCP was interesting. Whilst they’ve been successfully procuring from new entrants including managing the required checks and balances; such as agreement builds, product checks etc they also acknowledge that they can be and have been inundated with offers of support. Whilst this is brilliant, there needs to be some thought given as to how this support can be used efficiently. This is definitely something for me and the Federation of Small Businesses Special Interest Group to give careful consideration to.
All in all, I came away from the workshop with a renewed sense of pride and gratitude to all my fellow procurement professionals in the public sector, many of whom are performing an impossible task in the most challenging environment our generation has ever faced.
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.