EM has become the first UK highway maintenance contractor to be awarded the BS11000 certification covering three members of its supply chain - Aggregate Industries, Carnell and Chevron Traffic Management.
BS11000 is based on the concept that companies working together can often achieve much more than they can alone.
This recently introduced British Standard provides a framework specification for creating successful, sustainable collaborative relationships.
James Haluch, EM’s HA Service Director and BS11000 Project Director said: "We recognised the value of adopting this structured approach to collaboration and of developing a framework for future use.
"The success of our award winning ‘Supply Chain Community’, in delivering service benefits at the same time as significant cost savings,has played a key part in evidencing the Standard’s requirements."
Guy Berresford, Highways Agency Contract and Performance Team Leader, said: "Mutual trust and co-operation are the cornerstone of this contract.
"Our energetic programme of relationship management from the very beginning of this contract and the pro-active inclusion of the wider supply chain has already achieved significant cashable savings and gained industry-wide recognition and awards.
"I'm delighted that BS 11000 accreditation has been achieved but the challenge doesn't stop here.Continual improvement in driving down cost whilst maintaining value can only be achieved through collaborative business relationships."
Effective engagement with the supply chain has allowed savings of approximately £12.5m to be realised in 2011/ 12, equating to a 22% saving.
Dave Wright, MD of EnterpriseMouchel said: "Real efficiencies come from the identification and elimination of waste - duplication of resources, processes that add cost and no value, the absence of planning, unnecessary bureaucracy and delayed decision making.
"Collaboration helps us to deliver a seamless service through a lean integrated supply chain to maximise efficiencies and reduce waste. This is a culture we embrace in EnterpriseMouchel and the formal standard is a tool we will look to utilise on our other major contracts.’
EM will now look to other members of the supply chain to expand involvement in the scheme as well as rolling it out to future EM contracts.
