Mott MacDonald’s Natalie Harvey assesses the importance of small firms in supply chains as the company prepares to launch a series of free upskilling sessions.
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary Community Social Enterprises (VCSEs) sit at the heart of the UK’s economy. They make-up 99% of our business population, generate a collective turnover of £2.4 trillion annually, and employ 16 million people across local communities up and down the country.
They also play an essential role in creating capacity and resilience across supply chains. When it comes to modernising our transport networks, expanding our vital health and housing infrastructure, and accelerating efforts to decarbonise our economy, successful projects often depend on a wide network of small businesses.
There are many benefits to having a range of SMEs and VCSEs within supply chains, from bringing fresh ways of thinking, to providing fast turnaround times, to increasing social impact owing to their close ties with surrounding communities. On top of those benefits, they can be essential to de-risking processes: relying on contributions from a number of smaller firms to a project reduces the chance of overreliance on a handful of big suppliers and contractors.
Despite the pluses they bring, small firms often face challenges in becoming involved in large-scale projects, be that due to lack of resource, technological capacity or time to compete for procurement contracts.
The UK Government recognises the need to remove such barriers. The revised National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) places importance on removing barriers for smaller businesses in public procurement. The NPPS encourages public bodies to support smaller enterprises by fostering an environment where they can compete fairly in public procurement processes, helping to create a more resilient and diverse marketplace.
This is particularly important in large-scale initiatives like the New Hospital Programme (NHP). The NHP will require a vast expansion of market capacity, with a strong focus on the adoption of innovative construction methods and sustainability practices.
As part of our social value work on the NHP, we will be offering free upskilling sessions to SMEs and VCSEs in the health sector. These sessions aim to empower smaller businesses to overcome the challenges they face around keeping up with trends in modern construction, sustainability requirements and procurement processes.
The programme will include a one-day workshop on Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), industrialisation and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA), which will enable participants to explore the benefits, risks, costs, and sustainability implications of modern construction techniques, applying concepts in a project setting.
We’ll also be running a number of net-zero and sustainability sessions, which will cover: an introduction to climate change, carbon budgets, and the importance of net zero in business; an explanation of CO2e and carbon accounting principles and methods, guiding businesses on how to track their carbon footprint; and a discussion around sustainability metrics for areas outside carbon emissions and how they can add value to businesses.
We also offer upskilling support in additional areas such as social value, business case creation, procurement, and Health and Safety, based on individual needs. Sessions are prioritised for SMEs and VCSEs and can be delivered virtually or at our London office.
Please get in touch using this form if you would like to join any of the sessions above or pick-up a separate conversation about upskilling.