Teamwork to overcome Olympic-sized procurement hurdles

With less than 150 days until the Olympic Games, some interesting procurement challenges have come to light.

We’re not talking about a shortage sand for the beach volleyball, chlorine for the swimming pools, chalk for the weightlifting or drug-testing kits.

It’s things like the number of security guards needed … by lots of organisations, all at once. Up to 20,000 more may be required when the Games start, according to reports. And this begs the question – will a sudden surge in demand of that magnitude have a knock-on affect on the market?

And (whisper it), elsewhere there’s also a rumour about a shortage of … portable toilets.

Only time will tell over whether there’s enough of everything to go round. But what’s really commendable is the approach being taken by key organisations affected by the games. As the Cross Programme Procurement Group (CPPG), they’ve teamed up to manage risk and get value for money.

Of course, the Olympic Games is a special case with unique pressures and immovable dates.

But in the wider economy, day-to-day collaboration among regional public bodies, special interest groups and business units can reap major benefits too.

Through joint marketplaces with the same purchase-to-pay (P2P) system, they can share and access larger open contracts that benefit from high-volume pricing – and make effective strategic decisions together. It’s happening across the UK already with great success.