Supplier Management
Helping clients and suppliers deliver together
Suppliers often play a central role in the success of a project or programme.
The challenge
When delivery starts to fall behind
When delivery starts to fall behind, it can be easy for the relationship between the client and supplier to become difficult.
The client
May feel that the supplier is not meeting its commitments…
The supplier
…while the supplier may be dealing with unclear requirements, changing priorities or decisions outside its control.
How we help
A shared and realistic view
Our Supplier Management support helps clients and suppliers establish a shared and realistic view of:
- 01What needs to be delivered
- 02What has been agreed
- 03What has changed
- 04Who is responsible for each decision and action
- 05What is preventing progress
- 06What each party needs from the other
- 07How delivery will be measured
- 08What needs to happen next
Root causes
Looking beyond supplier performance
Poor supplier performance is not always simply a supplier problem.
We look at the whole working arrangement rather than beginning with the assumption that one party is at fault.
This helps identify the real causes of the problem and creates a stronger basis for recovery.
The underlying cause may include
- Requirements that are unclear or incomplete
- Priorities that change without suitable control
- Delayed decisions or approvals
- A contract that no longer reflects the work
- Dependencies that sit outside the supplier’s control
- Different interpretations of responsibilities
- Unrealistic timescales or expectations
- Limited communication between technical, commercial and delivery teams
Oversight
Practical supplier oversight
Our role is to provide clear management and oversight while helping everyone involved work towards the same result.
We can help with
- Establishing clear requirements and priorities
- Reviewing delivery plans and commitments
- Improving communication between client and supplier teams
- Managing risks, dependencies and decisions
- Creating clear and useful performance measures
- Reviewing contractual assumptions and responsibilities
- Supporting contract change discussions
- Resolving disagreements before they become formal disputes
- Bringing commercial, technical and delivery discussions together
- Creating and overseeing a practical recovery plan
Working relationship
One team with a shared goal
A contract defines the commercial relationship, but successful delivery also depends on trust, clear communication and shared responsibility.
We help clients and suppliers move away from defensive positions and towards practical decisions.
That does not mean avoiding difficult conversations or overlooking missed commitments. It means addressing problems fairly, using evidence and keeping attention on what is needed to complete the work successfully.
- Trust
- Clear communication
- Shared responsibility