SCS JV
CHAS provides the solution for getting SCS JV’s supply chain compliance on track
SCS JV are a joint venture contractor responsible for constructing 13 miles of tunnels for the London section of HS2, one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe.
A project this size can offer a wealth of work opportunities for businesses, but as a publicly funded initiative, HS2 Ltd is bound by the UK’s public sector procurement legislation and frameworks. This means contractors, subcontractors and suppliers, throughout all tiers of the supply chain, must demonstrate transparency while meeting minimum compliance requirements. For HS2, this includes a mandate to hold Common Assessment Standard accreditation – the highest level of PQQ accreditation comprised of industry-agreed standardised questions (and supporting evidence) covering key areas of supply chain risk management.
The Challenge
Operating as a tier 1 contractor, SCS oversees the pre-qualification and compliance of subcontractors and suppliers in the lower tiers of their category. Prior to specifying the Common Assessment Standard, they conducted their own PQQs, which consisted of around 6-7 questionnaires. However, this approach quickly became unwieldy. With so much data being gathered, and a need to ensure questionnaires kept up with ever-changing regulations and standards, SCS needed a solution to streamline this process. Crucially, they were looking for expert guidance to help lead the campaign to bring their supply chain network up to Common Assessment Standard accreditation level.
The Solution
As one of the four main Common Assessment Standard accreditation providers, SCS approached CHAS for help. The CHAS team started by cleaning and mapping out the data that SCS provided on their subcontractors and suppliers including the deletion of duplicate entries or dissolved businesses. They then started identifying certification gaps, looking at which subcontractors in the supply chain list held valid certification – either with CHAS or via another provider which was ascertained by data sharing – and what status it was at. CHAS also introduced various risk levels with the highest risk category being those subcontractors who were already working on live contracts. All this gave SCS a better understanding of the subcontractors they needed to target first to bring them up to common assessment standard level and what they needed to work on to increase compliance for their remaining primary supply chain.
SCS are now reaping the benefits of their partnership with CHAS, which they see as an expansion of their supply chain support team. CHAS has given them more control over their relationships by encouraging them to adopt a consistent, standardised approach, with SCS noting that their network now has a clearer understanding of their obligations regarding providing assurance.
As well as helping SCS to achieve their compliance goals, the company has found that working with CHAS has exceeded their expectations in other ways.
Martin Mirimo, Lead Supply Chain Manager at SCS, explains: “We chose to work with CHAS first over the other providers because they are more flexible. They have invested a lot in our relationship, including visiting us at our offices and always going above and beyond what we have asked for. They have even been available at short notice to sort out issues beyond the Common Assessment Standard remit. For example, they have helped us with how to approach sanctions checks, source turnover figures, and investigate where accreditation certificates may have already been obtained elsewhere.”
What’s more, with CHAS’ involvement, SCS have been able to develop best practice guidance and have even been able to lead on this with CHAS recognising what has been working well for SCS and obtaining permission to share it with their other clients. In turn, SCS have looked at adopting other tried and tested ways of working which have been shared by UK and overseas organisations via CHAS. All this underpins one of the core values for SCS – and the HS2 project as a whole – which is a passion for excellence; being open to new ideas and striving for continuous improvement.
The Outcome
Fundamentally, the biggest benefit of SCS’ campaign with CHAS has been to meet the goal of increasing the uptake of the Common Assessment Standard across the supply chain. Martin Mirimo explains “Before we worked with CHAS, it was a struggle to sell the Common Assessment Standard as a one size fits all approach but CHAS coming on board has really helped us to educate our supply chain about its benefits. CHAS has a lot of resources in terms of manpower and doing this is their daily bread.”
In terms of the outcome of SCS’s experience of working with CHAS, the figures speak for themselves. 80% of their live supply chain are now compliant with the common assessment standard. This equates to 165 subcontractors, accredited to the highest level, working on active projects for SCS, which represents an impressive uptake. CHAS efforts remain ongoing to support SCS in increasing the uptake of their lower risk businesses.
Martin sums up: “CHAS have been really brilliant, they offer the service of a Common Assessment Standard provider, but they also go above and beyond.”
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