The Purchasing team network is directly connected to the CIS actor-network since it aims to construct part of his strategy, namely to find the right supply chain partner, implement the supply chain agreements, and enhance the relationship with the mandated suppliers, such as through relationship meetings, workshops, trainings, and conferences. It can be defined as an actor-network because it is formed by an array of heterogeneous actors, both human (e.g. Purchasing Manager, Product Manager, administrative roles), and non-human (e.g. questionnaires, trainings, workshops). This actor-network creates the basis for the suppliers’ active involvement in the partnership with TCC, such as the submission of surveys and questionnaires to the suppliers, site visits, training workshops, and regular contact with them. Hence, the main role of this actor-network is supporting the pre-interessement phase described in Chapter 5. The Purchasing team’s main responsibilities were discussed during the interview:
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(…) with our Category A supply chain partners, we’ve got trading agreements which are based around spend (…) so a big part of what we do in our team is administering those agreements, making sure they’re in place all signed up and then collecting the
associated fees that go with that. The other people in the team are predominantly involved with that kind of administration collection process resolving any invoice disputes, that type of thing so it maintains the correct type of relationship. Then they get involved to an element of kind of like relationship. So two of the people in the team are degree qualified. One’s a construction management degree, another lady’s degree is in economics, I think it is and one of the other ladies is currently studying the
Chartered Institute Procurement and Supply course (Product Manager – 2016).
We’re not a very big team, there’s only six of us (Purchasing Manager – 2016).
Hence, this network works towards establishing long-term partnering relationships with the supply chain, in order to enhance their processes and get the supply chain more involved in earlier stages. Indeed, having fewer but more trustworthy suppliers can help to save time and costs, as well as implement innovation and transfer it to other projects due to the continuity of the working relationship. In order to do so, the Purchasing team develops surveys to be used to screen the potential suppliers and get to know them better by visiting their factories. Once they find the right choices, they are asked to agree on and sign the supply chain agreement in order to become the main (Category A) supplier or manufacturer of a particular material, or component.
We try to get our supply chain more and more involved in what we class as pre-
construction. This is the point at which we are trying to win the project so this is design, estimating and very much adopting an approach of the companies that support us to win work are the companies that we will use to deliver the work (Product Manager – 2016).
Another important aspect of this network’s responsibilities lies in training the mandated suppliers and providing learning opportunities. For example, they may supervise that questionnaires are created and submitted to the supply chain (e.g. regarding BIM). They
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also manage hot-desking (e.g. they organise periods of time in which a person from the supplier firm can directly work and interact with other people within TCC) and organise workshops and events in order to enhance communication between TCC and the supply chain (e.g. “Better door” workshop, sub-regional supply chain conferences). They are also directly responsible to meet quarterly with some spokespersons of the supplier company in order to monitor whether the agreement is working in the right way for both parties, and discuss about any issues they may have, innovation, pricing, etc.
You’re working closer together because ultimately we wouldn’t work, our supply chain wouldn’t work, etc. I think we’re in a period of change at the moment across both the housing business and the construction business in the way we are trying to work and engage with our supply chain, trying to make them feel part of our business. Simple things like some of the offices are operating like a top desk where you invite somebody in to come and work for a day in our office. They start to meet more people whereas traditionally subcontractors estimate and mainly talk to one of their estimators. But you’re trying to expose them to more people so they actually feel part of our business and share our values and culture (Product Manager – 2016).
In supply chain conferences every year where they get a chance to go and give an award ceremony and then they get to also come and meet lots of internal people and meet each other as well and the manufacturers are there and the subcontractors are there (Purchasing Manager – 2016).
Therefore, the Purchasing actor-network aims to construct John’s strategy of reducing the number of suppliers, select the best suppliers, building stronger connections, and implement supply chain agreements which expect the use of standard components and process, BIM, and promotion of innovation. The actor-network is therefore directly connected to the CIS actor-network where it is black boxed in the decision-making process of choosing the right partners to work with and negotiate with since they are actively involved in the selection phase of the suppliers (e.g. through surveys, questionnaires, and site visits), thus in the pre-interessement phase (see Chapter 5). Hence, it is an important actor-network because it is essential for establishing the first contacts with the mandated
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suppliers and involves them in long-term relationships and training opportunities. Analysing this actor-network and its relations with the others allows to respond to some of the sub- research questions: “what is the role of innovative technologies (e.g. BIM) and practices (e.g. supply chain agreements, workshops, meetings) in shaping collaboration between the firm and suppliers? Do they assume different characteristics in different contexts?”, and also “how is collaboration implemented in different contexts?”.