Ginny shares her views on embedding SRM for real impact and how it might affect the Housing Sector.
The Procurement Act 2023 has brought about one of the most significant shifts in public sector procurement in decades. It sets out new requirements designed to simplify processes, increase transparency, and raise accountability across supplier contracts.
Compliance alone is not enough. To truly unlock the potential of this reform, procurement teams must embed Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) at the heart of their business operating model.
The changes are not just regulatory; they are cultural. They demand a new mindset in how procurement teams view and manage supplier relationships.
Supplier Relationship Management is no longer a “nice to have”; it is the process that ensures compliance, resilience, and innovation.
- Collaboration over compliance: SRM transforms supplier interactions into partnerships, enabling shared risk and reward.
- Driving innovation: By fostering trust and transparency, SRM creates space for suppliers to bring forward bold ideas.
- Performance assurance: Embedding SRM means KPIs aren’t just monitored, they’re actively managed, ensuring suppliers perform consistently.
- Strategic alignment: SRM ensures suppliers contribute to wider organisational goals, from environmental and Social Value priorities to digital
A resilient and dependable supply chain is the backbone of organisational success, ensuring continuity, trust, and the ability to respond quickly to changing circumstances.
In the housing sector, this has never been more critical since the introduction of Awaab’s Law, part of the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, which now requires social landlords to address serious hazards such as damp and mould within strict timeframes, which often require third-party intervention.
It is worth considering that the skills required to design effective SRM systems, particularly the creation of meaningful KPIs and performance frameworks, are often most developed in professionals who have worked outside the public sector. In industries such as financial services, retail, and manufacturing where SRM has long been pivotal to driving innovation, resilience, and competitive advantage. These practitioners bring with them tried‑and‑tested approaches to supplier segmentation, collaborative performance reviews, and value‑driven metrics that go beyond cost savings.
Public sector teams don’t need to reinvent SRM from scratch. By tapping into cross‑sector expertise through interim or fractional specialists, you can quickly embed meaningful KPIs, strengthen supplier relationships, and accelerate team capability. It’s a smart way to get your procurement function where it needs to be, fast so you can start enjoying the rewards of genuine supplier collaboration.
