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Sunday 14th July, marks my ten-year anniversary at LHC Procurement Group (LHC PG). Following a degree in Anthropology (specialising in great apes!) I started my LHC career as a Client Research Officer, on a fixed-term, year-long maternity cover contract.

I knew nothing of public sector procurement and less still about frameworks, but was keen to learn and was attracted by LHC PG’s not-for-profit status, which aligned with my desire to dedicate my time to doing something good and making a difference. The fact that I also loved data analysis and research, meant that the role on offer seemed like a great fit and I was delighted to be offered the job!

In 2015 changes within the business meant that there was an opportunity to become a permanent member of staff, which I gladly accepted and the rest, as they say, is history!

If you’d have told me on July 14th 2014, that ten years later on, I’d still be thoroughly enjoying my time at LHC PG and be leading the SWPA team as Regional Manager, I’d never have believed you! Ten years is a long time, a lot has changed for me both personally and professionally, so I’d like to celebrate by sharing ten reasons why I still love my job, our industry and feel positive about the future ahead.

Working for a not for profit and Making a Difference

Those who work in the industry will fully empathise with the pain of being asked at a dinner party “what do you do?”. As passionate as I am about procurement and construction, trying to explain my job and pre-tendered procurement solutions to those on the “outside” is no easy task. That being said, the thing I’m most proud of and really hang my (hard) hat on is the fact that I work for a not-for-profit organisation.

Not only are we spending our days helping our public sector clients and suppliers achieve value for money in their contracts, but also dedicating time to support significant regional and national challenges, such as the housing crisis, fuel poverty, the skills gap, climate emergency and regional SME engagement; all whilst returning our surplus direct to our local communities in the form of grants. This still gets me out of bed in the morning and as we focus more and more on social value, guided by our recently published social value strategy. The opportunity to do good and make a real difference will remain at the forefront of my “normal day at work”.

Modern Methods of Construction

I was only a few months into the role when we launched our very first MMC framework for the delivery of New Homes (NH1). The notions of factory built homes, pods, and open and closed panelised systems were alien to me, but was suddenly the hot topic of discussion. There was a huge passion and drive from LHC PG, to support the delivery of much needed social housing, at pace and with a greater focus on quality than could be delivered via “trad build”.

Little did I know, that in a few short years from the launch of the original framework, LHC PG would have adopted the Framework Alliance Contract (FAC1) and be holding detailed discussions with clients who were wanting to collaborate and aggregate their development pipelines to achieve best value. This culminated in a 1,000 unit order with “The Cluster”, the biggest ever in the region, from Magna Housing and Wiltshire Council, working with Rollalong, a modular homes builder (Cat 1 – volumetric), using a Dorset based manufacturing facility. Although my own role in “The Cluster” was small, I was extremely fortunate to work with hugely passionate MMC experts and have learnt so much. MMC factories are also fascinating to visit! I’m looking forward to more clusters!

A Regional Focus

I moved to the South West in 2015, jumping over from the then “Central and Wales” team, to the “London and South” team, of which the South West was part. Although activity in the South West was slowly increasing, there wasn’t a true regional offering. I was tasked with carrying out a research project, to better understand the needs of the region and very quickly recognised that a regionally focussed approach was required.

LHC PG had found the same in both Scotland and Wales and were pro-active in their response to this, in the setting up of the Scottish Procurement Alliance and the Welsh Procurement Alliance. One of the things I value most about LHC PG is their ability and enthusiasm to adapt and evolve to the needs of our valued clients. My research paid off and “LHC South West” was born in 2017.

Shortly after, in the summer of 2018, the original South West team was born, with the recruitment of a Regional Director and Technical Support Manager. LHC PG now have five regional business units, with full local expert teams, client-led committees and regional representation on the LHC PG Board. This all ensures that regional interests and requirements are fed back to the central team during the development of new procurement solutions and other activities.

SWPA Re-Brand

Many years had passed since I had first overlayed the SWPA acronym onto a LHC PG framework brochure, just to see what it looked like! In 2018, with the arrival of the fantastic Mary Bennell, in the role of SWPA Director, a plan was set in motion to formally launch the South West Procurement Alliance (SWPA). With the full support of clients, suppliers and the wider business we held a launch event, at Exeter Racecourse, on 3rd October 2019. At that time, we had only ten Associate Partner Clients. We now have fifty seven, which speaks volumes about the importance of local, regionally focussed engagement. The SWPA team has grown significantly, to six strong and proudly delivers a full range of client, technical, procurement and marketing support. Find out more about the team here.

Community Benefit Fund

One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most over the last few years, is supporting the delivery of our regional Community Benefit Fund (CBF). The fund to date has distributed almost £80,000 of grants, via 77 small grants, to 56 individual community groups across the region. My work with the CBF really scratched an anthropological itch, in that I was able to dabble in my passion for ethnographic research and participant observation.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit several of the groups in action, which was in every single case, a hugely powerful experience and a reminder of why working for a not-for-profit is so important to me. I’m pleased to report that the fund is growing significantly and sits at £90k for 24/25 alone. We have commissioned a new charity partner, Locality, to help us to deliver this ambitious target. It’s a very exciting time.

Becoming a Parent!

Bit of a personal one next, but the most important, motivating factor in my life. I found out I was expecting my first child in March 2019, two weeks before Covid-19 changed everybody’s lives forever. The SWPA team, as well as wider LHC PG went above and beyond to support me. I was grateful that LHC PG continued to operate throughout this very strange year, as it gave me a focus and something positive to do every single day, which stopped me panicking!

My maternity leave was impacted by the restrictions, but I tried to soak in every moment with my new bundle of joy as best I could. The support continued when I returned to work a year later and whilst I had my reservations about my ability to balance my parental and professional priorities, I couldn’t be more grateful for the support and flexibility that was afforded to me. My little boy is three and a half now, loves to try on my PPE and has an extensive collection of construction themed toys and outfits! Trust me when I say that women can have it all and the construction industry is a great environment to achieve that all important work-life balance.

Women in Construction

Over the past 10 years, I’ve seen a massive increase in women both in the industry and in senior leadership roles, which is hugely inspiring. In fact, within LHC PG, 57% of the workforce are female, with many in very senior positions. I’ve found that there’s a great sense of comradery amongst women in the built environment, which I enjoy greatly and hope to be able to do more to support and inspire new entrants. The SWPA Team are part of South West Women in Construction and value our time at their interesting and informative events.

Opportunities for Development

One thing I can never claim to have been over the past 10 years is bored! My current role is my fourth in the business and whilst it isn’t at all unusual for people to move around in our industry, I can honestly say I’ve never felt the need. The industry as a whole and LHC PG, has experienced considerable growth, change and transformation over the past decade, which has been a truly exciting thing to be part of.

We have such a diverse range of procurement solutions and added value services, including social value, MMC, compliance, retrofit and decarbonisation, construction, planned maintenance and consultancy; the learning opportunities are literally limitless. With so much to choose from, I haven’t quite figured out my specific area of expertise yet, but watch this space! This year, LHC PG have also launched a Talent Development Programme, of which I am part. I’m grateful for the opportunity to further expand my skillset and confidence. I’d encourage everyone to embrace opportunities presented to them, be brave and put yourself out there, because it might just be the best thing you ever do.

Retrofit and Decarbonisation

I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Borneo several times, seeing firsthand the beauty of the rainforest and the wildlife that lives there. My travels were the original inspiration for my anthropology degree, specialising in orangutans, which provided a heartbreaking insight into the impact of climate change. This in-depth study affected me to the core and still does.

LHC PG have been providing retrofit procurement solutions for 30 years and we are on the cusp of launching a brand new Retrofit and Decarbonisation Framework (N9), which will play a significant role in combatting the climate emergency, by improving the energy efficiency of existing public sector buildings. In addition, our MMC offering supports the construction of zero-carbon and net zero buildings, further mitigating the impact that our industry has on the planet.

The UK Public Sector, in partnership with the construction industry is making monumental progress in off-setting the damage that has been inflicted on the planet to-date and something that as a professional, a mother and a human being, I feel absolutely obligated to support. We have a collective responsibility to protect our planet in the interests of both biodiversity and the future generations to whom we will bequeath the consequences of the decisions we are making today.

The Master Plan

I want to continue building our offering in the South West, continuously improving our procurement solutions and added value services, calling upon the insights of the region to do so, whilst feeding these back into national discussions. With imminent changes to the procurement regulations, a collective industry focus on several issues including social value, the climate emergency, skills gap and the housing crisis, it’s clear that the opportunities for learning and development are aplenty. We are living in incredibly challenging, yet hopeful times.

Ten years ago, I fell into the construction industry partly by chance, but because I found a role with a not-for profit organisation, that I believed would satisfy my desire to do good and make a difference and I haven’t been disappointed, as long as this continues to be the case, you’ll be seeing me around!