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Case Study:
Procurement
Real Life Options (RLO) is a distinguished charity that has been empowering individuals with learning disabilities and autism for over 25 years. With operations spanning 150 locations across England and Scotland, RLO is supported by a robust team of more than 2000 employees and volunteers. In early 2020, I-Tel Group was tasked with conducting a comprehensive audit of RLO’s indirect procurement processes. The project aimed to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their operations, addressing the needs across their extensive network.
The challenge
At the start of 2020, I-Tel Group was tasked with overhauling Real Life Options’ indirect procurement process, aiming to significantly boost cost-efficiency and streamline its supply chain management.
This initiative quickly faced a major hurdle as the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic led to a rapid depletion of UK stocks across crucial categories like IT, janitorial supplies, and personal protective equipment (PPE), presenting an unexpected and urgent challenge to the project’s goals.
2000 staff
200 sites
£60 million turnover
Our solution
I-Tel Group conducted a comprehensive audit of RLO’s procurement processes, establishing a baseline for improvement.
As the pandemic escalated, immediate action was required to adapt to the soaring demand and shrinking supply, particularly for PPE. I-Tel implemented a dynamic forecasting model to adjust to the ten-fold increase in demand and manage the associated financial risks.
This involved:
Prioritising essential PPE for immediate action.
Collaborating with service managers for a three-month essential items forecast.
Sourcing alternative PPE supplies, including from automotive sectors for medical gloves, and scaling procurement efforts nationally to secure sufficient stock.
The results
In response to the effective management and strategic adjustments made during the pandemic, Real Life Options has awarded I-Tel Group a five-year contract as its outsourced procurement partner. This long-term agreement reflects the trust and reliability developed through I-Tel’s proactive and resourceful handling of procurement challenges during critical times.
Through this process we:
Ensured the continuity of essential services during critical PPE shortages.
Avoided excessive expenditures during market fluctuations.
Established a long-term partnership based on trust and proven capability.
What our clients say
“From the offset, I-Tel’s professional approach and attention to detail built up tremendous trust within our leadership team. When Covid-19 exploded globally, it had serious implications for our core operations. The sourcing and provision of PPE was critical. I-Tel rose to the challenge and quite simply, we would not have coped without them.”
