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Client Support Manager, Alistair Rankine on why SPA Partners trust SPA for their procurement solutions

Things have changed a lot in the year and a half that has passed since I joined the team at SPA. To be fair the whole world has changed a great deal but in my new role as Client Support Manager (East) I’ve noted the changes in the way our Partners interact with us, their requirements, and the level of support required.

At the core, our frameworks are all about efficiency, value for money, and compliance. Each one has been rigorously procured to align to your current and future needs. At SPA we take our client support one step further with our added value services. Our Partner’s projects are supported from inception to completion by our technical and procurement expertise. The positive impact of each project is maximised by our Marketing team and our partnership with Lintel Trust. Our recent new hires who are already supporting your projects and continued development of the team are testament to this.

We, in the public sector, are facing many challenges as we emerge from the pandemic, which we will be with us for some time to come. The sector is facing workforce capacity and supply chain issues. We have deadlines looming on such things as fire alarm regulation and The Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH2).

But this is where we at SPA step up to make sure you have the support you need. We have various framework solutions, as well as a dynamic purchasing system to facilitate fire detectors and promote energy efficiency, among other things. The full list of our framework offering can be found here. Our frameworks are quick and compliant routes to market with our Energy Efficiency Consultancy (N8C) framework proving especially popular ahead of the EESSH2 2023 deadline.  

Our added value services and intelligent procurement approach are crucial in supporting the sector to face these issues. We ensure that you have access to the best appointed companies who are committed to SPA Partners and have undergone rigorous testing. We remain in close contact with our suppliers, which means we are aware of any market issues that may arise and are best suited to help mitigate them for your project.

Responsiveness and quality of service are certainly some of the feedback terms we hear from Partners, but the one that I believe to be the most prominent over the last eighteen months is trust. Our Partners trust us. They trust that SPA exists for the right reasons, designing and implementing successful frameworks that are compliant with Scottish and EU procurement law, for their construction, refurbishment, and maintenance needs, whilst making a positive impact on Scottish communities.

While we have experienced a lot and faced many challenges over the past eighteen months, we have also had our day jobs. For those in social housing there are still the kitchen and bathroom upgrades and adaptations, roofing, void refurbishments, etc and that’s why I love working with our Partners. The fact we can help them out with long term big, complicated projects that can take months of support and guidance, through to everyday requirements that we can procure for them, enabling them to move onto other projects, safe in the knowledge they are supported and compliant.

Looking back over the past year, I feel privileged to have been here to support Partners through the initial stages of the pandemic, being that point of contact for advice, support, and a friendly voice when they themselves were isolated from their teams and colleagues. I’ve gotten to know people’s pets, been interrupted by deliveries, commented on room décor, and lost connection mid-sentence. But these relationships forged in the middle of a crisis have developed into relationships where clients can rely on me for assistance with their projects, with the SPA team there ready to help.

As the country returns to semi-normality, I look forward to continuing to build on these new relationships, especially face to face over that elusive coffee and a biscuit that we all have fond memories of.

It goes without saying that if you would like to discuss any of your projects, please get in touch for a friendly chat about how best we can support you and your organisation to achieve its goals.

Alistair Rankine

Client Support Manager (East)

alistair@scottishprocurement.scot

07572 006 899