Open-access content
10th October 2011
11 October 2011
Winner: SGP with Altius Vendor Assurance
SGP Property and Facilities Management partnered with supplier management and accreditation experts Altius Vendor Assessment in 2007 to develop a robust supplier assessment and accreditation service.
Reducing risk and increasing efficiency was a top priority for SGP Property and Facilities Management when specifying its award-winning system.
A major part of SGP’s service offering is the management of maintenance services to sites without an on-site FM presence, due to their size or operational function. A remotely managed service poses significant challenges surrounding risk management and service quality monitoring.
Martyn Sherrington, head of strategic procurement at SGP Property and Facilities Management, said: “The rapid organic growth of SGP demanded radical change in supply chain management, and we worked with Altius to shape a flexible online accreditation system around the complex needs of our various client businesses. It is a highly intuitive and flexible system – tailored to each client - that can be instantly updated to reflect changing requirements or new legislation, and is very easy to use. We are able to monitor supplier activity, as well as gaining a ‘big picture’ view of our supply chain to identify and fill potential capacity gaps.”
On average, an SGP team member would spend 20 hours to process one application, since it was labour-intensive and paper-based. From a supplier perspective, the process could take up to 40 hours given the requirement to submit duplicate information, which would be further increased if a supplier was asking to be accredited for several clients. The duration of the assessment would take, on average three months from the start of the process. It was also clear that the procurement team was being asked to assess suppliers against criteria in which it was not professionally qualified, such as health and safety.
Learning and growing
Following a review of the market, SGP engaged the team behind the highly successful supplier accreditation schemes used in the rail sector and others to develop a system that could be utilised in the general FM environment. The outsourcing of this expertise eliminated the need for SGP to hire a full-time supplier accreditor at the cost of £60,000 per annum, as well as keep pace with the volume requirements.
The service is now used by 95 per cent of SGP client companies, but it is also used by other businesses wishing to manage compliance and gain better control of their supply chain, including Selfridges and Airbus.
The web-based system has resulted in over 93 per cent of suppliers signing up since initial launch.
Gary Plant, managing director of Altius Vendor Assessment, said: “Our flexible online accreditation and management system places customer focus at its heart. We leave nothing to chance and take a thorough evidence-based approach to checking the competences of suppliers – from health and safety compliance through to financial health, environmental performance, customer service and corporate social responsibility.”
The service is free to client companies, with a small fee applied to contractors to cover the assessment process and support in helping them gain compliance and to raise their performance. Membership offers suppliers access to new business opportunities through Altius’ client company network and eases the burden of tendering as suppliers can share their online assessment with other potential clients and avoid filling out numerous pre-qualification questionnaires.
Responding to the company’s success, Kevin Elliott, SGP’s managing director, commented: “We are delighted to have been recognised. Supplier management is one of the backbones of our service. This award is a testament to the vision of our procurement and risk management teams, which have worked with Altius to establish a system that delivers a step-change in the supplier accreditation arena.”
Highly commended
Forth Valley Royal Hospital
Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert is the largest recent NHS constructions project in Scotland and is already hailed as one of the most advanced hospitals in Europe. Innovative design and technology have been used to create the best environments for patients, staff and visitors.
Winner: SGP with Altius Vendor Assurance
SGP Property and Facilities Management partnered with supplier management and accreditation experts Altius Vendor Assessment in 2007 to develop a robust supplier assessment and accreditation service.
Reducing risk and increasing efficiency was a top priority for SGP Property and Facilities Management when specifying its award-winning system.
A major part of SGP’s service offering is the management of maintenance services to sites without an on-site FM presence, due to their size or operational function. A remotely managed service poses significant challenges surrounding risk management and service quality monitoring.
Martyn Sherrington, head of strategic procurement at SGP Property and Facilities Management, said: “The rapid organic growth of SGP demanded radical change in supply chain management, and we worked with Altius to shape a flexible online accreditation system around the complex needs of our various client businesses. It is a highly intuitive and flexible system – tailored to each client - that can be instantly updated to reflect changing requirements or new legislation, and is very easy to use. We are able to monitor supplier activity, as well as gaining a ‘big picture’ view of our supply chain to identify and fill potential capacity gaps.”
On average, an SGP team member would spend 20 hours to process one application, since it was labour-intensive and paper-based. From a supplier perspective, the process could take up to 40 hours given the requirement to submit duplicate information, which would be further increased if a supplier was asking to be accredited for several clients. The duration of the assessment would take, on average three months from the start of the process. It was also clear that the procurement team was being asked to assess suppliers against criteria in which it was not professionally qualified, such as health and safety.
Learning and growing
Following a review of the market, SGP engaged the team behind the highly successful supplier accreditation schemes used in the rail sector and others to develop a system that could be utilised in the general FM environment. The outsourcing of this expertise eliminated the need for SGP to hire a full-time supplier accreditor at the cost of £60,000 per annum, as well as keep pace with the volume requirements.
The service is now used by 95 per cent of SGP client companies, but it is also used by other businesses wishing to manage compliance and gain better control of their supply chain, including Selfridges and Airbus.
The web-based system has resulted in over 93 per cent of suppliers signing up since initial launch.
Gary Plant, managing director of Altius Vendor Assessment, said: “Our flexible online accreditation and management system places customer focus at its heart. We leave nothing to chance and take a thorough evidence-based approach to checking the competences of suppliers – from health and safety compliance through to financial health, environmental performance, customer service and corporate social responsibility.”
The service is free to client companies, with a small fee applied to contractors to cover the assessment process and support in helping them gain compliance and to raise their performance. Membership offers suppliers access to new business opportunities through Altius’ client company network and eases the burden of tendering as suppliers can share their online assessment with other potential clients and avoid filling out numerous pre-qualification questionnaires.
Responding to the company’s success, Kevin Elliott, SGP’s managing director, commented: “We are delighted to have been recognised. Supplier management is one of the backbones of our service. This award is a testament to the vision of our procurement and risk management teams, which have worked with Altius to establish a system that delivers a step-change in the supplier accreditation arena.”
Highly commended
Forth Valley Royal Hospital
Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert is the largest recent NHS constructions project in Scotland and is already hailed as one of the most advanced hospitals in Europe. Innovative design and technology have been used to create the best environments for patients, staff and visitors.