82. How to Join the Supply Chain of a Tier 1 Construction Company
I’ve mentioned ISG a few times recently.
They’re our number one target at LITTA. THE company we want to work with.
To understand why, here are some stats:
ISG is a global construction, fit-out and engineering company. It employs circa 3000 staff.
In 2022, it generated £2.19bn in revenue, almost 50% of which was generated from its fit-out business (£1.04bn).
Fit-out is ISG’s biggest service line. Notable projects include Royal Festival Hall, St Pancras International railway station and Lord’s Cricket Ground.
It’s one of two £1bn+ fit-out companies in the U.K. The other is Overbury (#2 target). Both companies trade places as the biggest in the U.K.
Becoming a strategic partner for a market leader like ISG changes fortunes.It will impact LITTA Commercial’s revenue goals and raise our profile in the fit-out and refurb sector.
However, the long road to becoming a strategic partner starts in the supply chain.
In today’s email:
Step 1 - Register Interest
Step 2 - Submit Application
Step 3 - The Ask
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THE BIG IDEA
Joining the supply chain for companies like ISG, CBRE, or Sodexo is straightforward.
They have a web page encouraging suppliers to ‘Join our Supply Chain’. They look something like this:
The application process includes submitting a bunch of information onto a procurement platform.
Application submitted, you wait to receive a welcome email congratulating you on becoming a “valued member of our supply chain”.
And that’s it.
Your business is on an anonymised list of thousands of contractors.
That's when the hard work begins.
Joining the supply chain for a company like ISG is the first step on a long road to getting work.
As I write this, I’m five months into that journey. Progress has been slow and requires patience.
But before I tell you where I’m at today, I’ll share how the journey started.
Step 1 - Register Interest
The easiest step. Follow the ‘Click Here’ button and complete your registration form:
Interest registered, you’ll receive an acknowledgement email that looks like this:
Pay attention to the email address circled. I was introduced to the supply chain director at ISG because I emailed this address.
Instead of waiting for a notification from the SmartSource platform, I emailed that address a few days later.
After receiving this reply, the Supply Chain Coordinator became my best friend. Let’s call her Penelope (NB: not her real name!)
Step 2 - Submit Application
It took about six weeks to collate the documents required to submit our application on the SmartSource platform.
They ask A LOT of questions about your business, the type of work, finances, references, health & safety, etc.
During this time, I was in regular contact with Penelope to clarify the next steps.
Approval was expedited once our application was submitted because I’d built up a relationship with Penelope.
Step 3 - The Ask
As our application was being approved, I called Penelope and asked her what the next step was to get access to work.
She said she’d introduce me to the supply chain team, prompting me to send this email once LITTA had successfully onboarded.
A couple of days later, I received this email from the Head of Supply Chain…
As I write this newsletter, we’re still waiting for the tender to be released.
But, I’ve not been sitting idle. Instead of waiting, I used this approach to snag a meeting with the Head of Supply Chain and Estimating Director in August.
Persistence prevails.
Here are the key takeaways that I’ve been applying to subsequent supply chain applications:
Be proactive. Don’t wait for updates after registering an interest or submitting an application. Find an email and follow up. Often.
Be friendly. It doesn’t hurt to be nice. Build a relationship with your contact point and get them to help you process your application.
Ask what happens next. Joining a supply chain is the first step. That alone won’t get you work. Don’t be afraid to ask what the next step is and who you need to speak to.
Next stop, Overbury.
Thanks for reading!
Matt @ The Growth Lab
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