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Taking The Positives
Gillian Askew • Apr 08, 2020
Taking The Positives - Published on Linked In 08/04/20
It’s usually in times of duress that we find out what we’re really made of and this is also true in business. During the past couple of weeks I've been heartened by, and wanted to share some examples, both local and national, of how the public sector has been supporting its suppliers. Especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) during what is one of the most, if not the most challenging times of our generation.
All in this together
- In North Yorkshire, the county council and their procurement team have been tireless in their pursuit to issue support to their suppliers, including a focus on smaller, local businesses and VCSEs as well as supporting key supply chain deficiencies like personal protective equipment (PPE) for key workers in the care sector. Read more on this story here.
Adapting processes during Covid-19 - Any suppliers who usually post invoices to North Yorkshire are now asked to email these directly to their designated contact rather than post. Find out more about other business support here.
Showing support to those in need - Supermarkets, convenience stores and other local shops have been urged to come forward with details of how they can provide support to people in need of help but may not covered by the government scheme. Lots of people will qualify for the scheme and will receive food care packages, but there will also be many who don’t fall into this group but have no friends or family to rely on for help.
“People should also turn first to family, friends and neighbours for help with things like getting in groceries or collecting medication. If that network is not available, please also look to community organisations or groups to which you belong. If none of those options are available, we are working with district council colleagues and selected community organisations to deliver that support.” You can read more on this support here.
Preventing the collapse
- Doing their bit to help, North Yorkshire County Council recognises how critical their supply chains are to their service delivery and have agreed to pay all SME suppliers as a matter of urgency. Instead of the usual 30-day payment period, payments will be made immediately. You can read more information on this here. They are also looking to implement the additional support detailed in a recent Procurement Policy Notice issued by Government as appropriate and will be lobbying government on the behalf of local businesses.
£13m emergency fund to support the Barnsley community - Barnsley Council have announced a multimillion-pound package of support for Barnsley's communities and local businesses. The announcement speaks of support packages such as a £13m emergency fund to support adult social care, vulnerable children, homeless and rough sleepers.
As a small business myself and a Barnsley resident, it was equally great to see the following post on Twitter by Enterprising Barnsley. They've paid out over £19m to 1,762 Barnsley businesses and they don't intend to stop there!
Community spirit
- More support is definitely needed and not just in Barnsley or North Yorkshire. Up and down the UK, businesses and communities still need help. So it’s also good to see the following information around some of the big public sector buying organisations (CCS, YPO, NEPO & ESPO) coming together to help reduce the impact of Covid-19 on the contingent labour market. This is a market that has a large proportion of small agencies and they, like their workers will no doubt benefit from the public sector joining forces to support them.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that whilst things are difficult, uncertain and indeed very challenging, we need to pay tribute and give thanks to the public sector organisations who are rolling their sleeves up and doing their bit. They’re doing anything and everything they can to support their communities and local business supply chains, and it’s helping.
Team spirit and working together matters, more than it’s ever mattered before.
Surviving then thriving in challenging times
- I will never be able to express my genuine sorrow at the losses in both life and business this pandemic has, and continues to cause. It’s personally impacted my family just like it's impacted so many others and I, like many, don't know what we'll look like as a nation when we come out of the other side of this. But I do know that business will continue and so I pledge to carry on doing all I can to help other small businesses win work and hopefully go on to thrive within the public sector.
Nothing's perfect and regardless of how much support there will ever be out there, there will sadly inevitably be casualties in the business world, and this pandemic isn't done with us yet. But that doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't celebrate the positive success stories and small wins along the way. When you’ve seen the world the way the way you want it to be, then we have to do everything we can to make it that way.
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.