Glenman were delighted to host a Meet the Buyer event to welcome suppliers from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic SMEs from diverse backgrounds on Thursday 25 November 2021. The aim of the event was to refresh and to diverse our current supply chain and improve opportunities for new businesses that we would like to work with in the future.

Facilitated by the Glenman team, the virtual event provided details to our supply chain of public sector contract opportunities recently secured worth circa £40m in total as well as input into our  centralised purchasing requirements.

We were pleased to welcome businesses from various trades including demolition, plastering, ceramic tiling, scaffolding and landscaping.  The businesses were able to have 1:1 sessions with our Quantity Surveying and Central Purchasing Teams to find out more about specific projects and how to become part of our supply chain.

Discussions included emerging priorities for clients including social value, BIM, workplace practices as well as sustainable procurement.  Jillian Lilico, organiser of the event as well as our Head of Bids and Social Value said “Improving supplier diversity and inclusive procurement is a high priority commitment in our social value plan. This Meet the Buyer event is our first step in realising our commitments. I hope all attending BAME-owned businesses felt that they gained meaningful contacts with our quantity surveying and central purchasing teams who have already confirmed to me that they have identified subcontractors from the attending businesses that will be afforded the opportunity to tender or provide quotations for work on current projects’

This was the FIRST event of this type for Glenman, but by no means the last! We will certainly consider hosting more Meet the Buyer events in 2022.