The Client Challenge
Programme & Project Partners (PPP) envisaged the platform for a Supply Chain Academy would rest on commitment as part of its Social Impact Plan to develop local businesses (and help them become more resilient, better equipped, and more robust), to create a direct conduit between PPP and those businesses, and to increase business growth and develop an uplift in local jobs.
The Supply Chain Academy would aim to support a turnaround in the work winning success of the local supply chain and would drive sustainable outcomes way beyond PPP’s targets for work placement locally. In essence, it would present an excellent opportunity for securing local business development over the long term.
Consequently, PPP requested a feasibility study in relation to the development of a Supply Chain Academy.
Our Solution
The BidBase viewed the concept of a Supply Chain Academy as creating a structured programme of learning and development.
We worked in partnership with the PPP Social Impact team to shape and refine the Supply Chain Academy concept with stakeholder groups including PPP Subject Matter Experts and other internal stakeholders, Sellafield Ltd. procurement and project delivery representatives (for the wider Sellafield opportunities), representatives of the local supply chain, and Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster.
We engaged with potential users to ensure the service would deliver the greatest impact, proposed the structure of the Supply Chain Academy based on user feedback, managed the development of the core and additional modules, worked with subject matter experts to develop content, proposed how this could be delivered, and advocated a workflow showing how a business could join, access the content and support, how certification could work, and how/when communications could happen.
We also proposed methods for measurement and performance reporting – ensuring the Supply Chain Academy could be monitored without burdening the participants.
Additionally, an outward-facing assessment was made to compare and contrast the Supply Chain Academy concept with other similar schemes such as the Supply Chain Sustainability School and the Fit4Nuclear scheme, to bring best practice and learning.
Beneficial Outcomes
Our feasibility study helped PPP determine the viability of a Supply Chain Academy by identifying the factors that would lead to its success.
Overall, our study found that establishing a Supply Chain Academy focused on up skilling and addressing the needs of suppliers in key functional areas could play a significant role in enabling more suppliers to engage with PPP opportunities. By improving capacity, capability, and understanding, the supply chain would be primarily better equipped to participate in and deliver PPP projects and also contribute to the PPP Critical Success Factors (CSFs), particularly those pertaining to employment and capabilities of the workforce through the longevity of relationships and subsequent confidence to invest in the supply chain and the local area.
We also concluded a Supply Chain Academy would support the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s aims to maintain sustainable communities and fully align to PPP Social Impact Plan and the Sellafield Ltd. Social Impact Multiplied (SiX) programme by enhancing the opportunity for local people to be involved in Sellafield work and other economic activity through education, retraining and skills development, and in support of the diversification of local economies into other sectors and geographical areas – reducing the reliance of communities on nuclear sites for employment by increasing the number, variety, and vibrancy of local businesses, promoting entrepreneurship, and taking steps to attract new enterprises.
