Published: Wednesday 21 October 2020
The two-year RBKC Supply Chain project, which helps businesses in Kensington and Chelsea across the property industry prepare and tender for contracts with developers and landowners, has reached its midway point with a recent success.
Run by the Council in partnership with London procurement experts MTW Consultants, the project was launched in October 2019. Despite disruptions due to Coronavirus, it has continued to run, conducting meetings and contract tenders virtually.
In the last year, the project has engaged 125 SMEs in the borough, supported 17 tender invites and recently celebrated a successful contract win for a supplier.
North Kensington-based, family run business, Nu-Line Builders Merchants Ltd has been procured as a supplier on a development by Newland Construction and Savills, having been introduced through the Supply Chain project. The developers had signed up to a Local Procurement strategy which committed them to spending 10% of the project cost with the local supply chain. They considered the best way would be to source all their building materials, which amounts to over £200,000 worth, through local merchants.
Cllr Catherine Faulks, Lead Member for Economy, Employment and Innovations said:
“It’s a real testament to our businesses in the borough, both suppliers and developers, that this project has continued so successfully despite Coronavirus. It’s been a focus for the Council to open up more opportunities in the local supply chain ensuring the local economy benefits from large developments. It’s been fantastic to have such positive feedback from those involved and we hope to see more successes over the next year.”
Nu-Line secured the contract after continuing to supply contractors and builders working throughout the pandemic. A spokesperson for the business said:
“It is good to see the Council supporting local businesses in this way and we are delighted to have Newland Construction as a new customer.”
Olga Crosse, Director of Crosse HR, is also part of the Supply Chain programme and delivered a recent webinar for suppliers. She said:
“I run my own HR consultancy here in Kensington and Chelsea and I am always on the lookout for ways to promote my business and increase my reach to small businesses. I provide HR for SMEs who are on tight budgets and cannot afford full time resources. RBKC Supply Chain thought that it would be useful to arrange an HR webinar for their members in September and invited me to deliver it. It was a great success, I really enjoyed doing it and received great feedback, so we are now planning another.”
“It helped me reach out to businesses I might never have had access to. I would happily recommend other businesses just take a chance and see if there is potential for them.”
Paul Tierney RIBA ARB, founder of Tierney Architects, is a supplier in the project and said:
"I decided to join as I saw it as an opportunity to be part of shaping, and improving, my local area. Since joining the initiative, I have been introduced to other local services, expanding my professional network within Kensington and Chelsea. It has also allowed me to access valuable training workshops and to be notified of upcoming opportunities as and when they arise.”
With another year ahead for the Supply Chain project, any business in the area, from plumbers and carpenters to architects and interior designers, are encouraged to get involved. Not only do those taking part get connected with contract opportunities, also on offer are one-to-one advisory sessions, informative webinars, and ‘Meet the Buyer’ networking events.
Find out more information at www.rbkcsupplychain.co.uk.