What are we planning?
Now tell suppliers about the programme. This is the first of three open seminars with suppliers. It deals with what you need to construct in the programme, your strategy to do it more efficiently and starting a dialogue with suppliers.
Advertise in the local press and national technical press to attract a wide audience.
Tell them:
- the scale and duration of the programme
- that you are considering tendering the work either as traditional one-off contracts or as a framework
- what is a framework and its implications for suppliers
- that no decision has yet been taken
- what you think this programme will mean for the local construction community
- that you want to encourage suppliers who are prepared to work with you in long-term relationships that encourage innovation
- that you want to know what they think.
Be prepared for some suppliers to be concerned about how it will affect them.
If the whole programme means more work overall, explain this and that some suppliers may need to re-organise alliances with others in order to take advantage.t expect to know all the answers at this stage. But you will be better prepared to deal with reactions from the market when consultation starts.