FM FOR ISSUU

PROCUREMENT
It has been a busy couple
of months for Aramark
Northern Europe. How did
the FM Procurement team
overcome the challenges
met with COVID-19?
We took this uncertain and unexpected
time to focus in on how we could improve
our day-to-day operations and support our
clients and internal stakeholders. We viewed
this as an opportunity to strengthen our
current supplier relations to mitigate against
supply risks in the business.
A key focus for us was to understand and
anticipate what would be required from
the Aramark Procurement and Supply
Chain team in order to meet our clients’
requirements during such a volatile period.
We worked on optimising a supply plan
with our preferred local and international
suppliers, meeting the agreed stocks of
COVID-19 products, while also identifying
and bringing new innovations to the market.
What should
Procurement teams
be doing right now to
optimise their operations
in the current climate?
The past number of months has seen
all business areas adapt rapidly to a new
way of working. It has shown the need to
work as effectively as possible in order to
successfully plan for the months ahead.
Procurement has had to evolve and
change over a short period of time. Our
focus has shifted towards building a more
connected relationship with suppliers,
partners and customers. Now, more than
ever, Procurement teams should be honing
in on technological advancements to
optimise their operations, such as supplier
management tools.
We have adapted a supplier management
tool as a way of improving the
management of our FM suppliers from
a risk and compliance aspect. As a
Procurement leader, I think it is important
to work towards strengthening our supply
base, reassessing risk frameworks and
working alongside partners to overcome
challenges surrounding compliance and
liquidity.
And finally, what do you
believe the future of
Procurement will look like?
Due to a volatile marketplace,
Procurement teams will need to focus
on preserving their cash in a responsible
manner. My advice to our business is to
optimise working capital and liquidity
whilst using our preferred suppliers and
adopting a greater collaborative approach
to mitigate risk. Preserving cash will allow
the business to invest into future growth
strategies. Going forward, we should
ensure that we are ready to respond to any
further supply chain challenges by devising
a robust risk management strategy. This
strategy should be imbedded into every
step of Procurement from upfront sourcing
to payment execution. Forward planning
and contingency mapping are key aspects
to safeguard continuity of supply while
minimising inflation, especially in highdemand
and limited supply products.
FM AUTUMN-WINTER 2020/21 | 7