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Robbie Blackhurst, director and founder of Compliance Chain, shares how the company aims to streamline the subcontractor tender process for principal contractors across the built-environment sector
Anyone who has used outdated e-tendering platforms understands the challenges of managing the subcontractor procurement process through such clunky portals.
The industry has long needed a holistic platform that integrates both subcontractor-package tender management and compliance checking, to make the process smoother for principal contractors and reduce the costs associated with using multiple platforms. Compliance Chain was created in response to this need, offering a central location for all aspects of subcontractor buying, including Supply Chain Management, Social Value Management and Supplier Compliance Checking, all in one platform.
Championing consistency in subcontractor buying
Principal contractors often operate across multiple regions and offices, making it difficult to maintain a consistent approach to buying.
To improve synergy across regional teams, standardised templates and processes for package tendering are a necessity. They enable principal contractors to maintain consistency across the wider business, while improving efficiency and speeding up the tender process.
With Compliance Chain’s package template library, these can be efficiently managed, allowing subcontract buyers to select the appropriate template tailored to the specific package requirements.
Streamlining feedback and the technical query process
Feedback is a crucial aspect of the buying process, as it helps subcontractors to make necessary improvements for future bids. By failing to provide feedback, clients could find themselves in contravention of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
In addition, some tender-management portals do not offer buyers the ability to effectively manage clarifications and technical queries received during the tender phase. Where this facility does exist, buyers still cannot seek responses from the market against individual clarifications, forcing many businesses to manage this process offline.
To save buyers time and uphold regulatory standards, Compliance Chain’s built-in tender-feedback functionality will enable efficient issuance and response to feedback and technical queries in the form of a letter or email. Furthermore, all feedback notifications are stored in the system, ensuring a fully auditable trail.
Compliance checking and tender management
No one wants to use multiple platforms to check common assessment standard compliance, review financial standing and run a tender. Compliance Chain combines all of these features within one easy-to-use platform.
Principal contractor buyers are also looking for easy onboarding of their preferred subcontractors into the platforms they use. Compliance Chain has an internal performance indicator to ensure all new subcontractors invited into the system by a principal contractor are done so within 48 hours.
It’s laughable that platforms charge additional fees to speed up the subcontractor onboarding process. All subcontractors want to do is access the platform quickly and be able to submit their tenders to the principal contractor.
Centralised documentation
Documenting the tender process is a lengthy but necessary task. From issuing tender documents to managing feedback and clarifications, the trail can be never-ending. These communications must be kept on record, although principal contractors can find themselves on the back foot when using multiple platforms to manage this process.
Businesses that utilise holistic platforms as one source of truth will see improved efficiency and consistency in their processes, ensuring records are stored in one location. In addition, company-wide policies that are used within every tender can be stored and rolled out at the click of a button across each subcontract package.
Compliance Chain’s centralised project documentation reassures buyers, facilitating real-time reporting for navigating the regulatory landscape seamlessly, while upholding the highest standards of compliance.
Developed for its intended users
When adopting digital platforms, it’s crucial to understand the purpose behind their creation. The most effective digital platforms are designed with insights from their intended users, considering their roles and challenges.
Compliance Chain was developed with contributions from principal contractors and subcontractors. This collaborative approach has produced an industry-leading construction platform that meets the needs of all project stakeholders.
Don’t get left behind
Current subcontractor performance methods in the construction industry are outdated and inefficient. Compliance Chain, developed with feedback from principal contractor buyers, offers a cutting-edge solution. Our platform streamlines e-tendering and compliance checking, saving buyers time and money while enhancing their processes.
Join the e-tendering revolution with Compliance Chain. Sign up to our waiting list today for early access to the platform, ahead of its official launch later this year.
