Griffiths achieves full supply chain compliance with Constructionline

Griffiths, a leading civil engineering contractor, is setting a new standard across its entire supply chain with the help of Constructionline’s platform, with 100% of its supply chain now either Gold or Platinum members.

		As of December 2023, an incredible 100% of Griffiths’ supply chain partners meet the common assessment standard via their Constructionline Gold or Platinum memberships.
		480 subcontractors in Griffiths’ supply chain are committed to meeting the highest construction standards.
		Griffiths has reduced its supplier onboarding question set by 50% because of the SSIP scheme available as part of their Constructionline membership.

Challenge

A leading civil engineering contractor with over 50 years of experience, Griffiths was keen to take its supply chain management to the next level as the business has grown.

The company has grown significantly in recent years. As a result, subcontracting has become an exponentially bigger element of its operations. With Griffiths continuing to take on increasingly ambitious, large-scale, and high-profile projects, the business required a more robust and efficient means of managing its supply chain.

“We needed to take our supply chain on a journey with us,” explains Simon Dunn, Pre-Construction Director at Alun Griffiths. “While we previously had a sound internal supplier approval process, with our operations expanding, we wanted to take greater control of our supply network. It’s critical that our suppliers align and reflect our company values and are aligned with our health and safety culture.”

Furthermore, as Griffiths’ UK coverage has evolved – from Wales to the Midlands and South West England – it needed an assured means of growing its supply network across these new geographies.

“It’s important we make a positive difference to local communities,” says Simon. “As part of our social value commitments, we work with many fantastic local suppliers. Griffiths is a regional company, and we have an inherent interest in the social, economic and environmental well-being of the areas in which we live and work.

“This has been captured in Griffiths’ 2030 sustainability strategy, where we have three key priorities for community and social impact. Firstly, to develop lasting relationships with local communities and other stakeholders. Secondly, to engage and inspire the next generation of skilled employees. Thirdly, to create opportunities for communities.

“So, as part of any new platform or processes going forward, we were looking for ways to help take our local suppliers on a journey around compliance and best practice, and develop them too.”

Solution

Constructionline’s platform provides Griffiths with absolute confidence that their supply chain never compromises when it comes to quality, compliance and safety standards.

Rather than trawling through multiple platforms to source suppliers, followed by the time-consuming task of checking these companies meet the necessary standards for quality, safety and compliance, Constructionline provides a one-stop solution, streamlining this process significantly. As a result of this, Griffiths has access to tools such as Find Supplier – a network of 3,500 suppliers that have been pre-approved by us and Segments to help manage supply chains across projects and regions.

“We believe everyone in the construction industry has a part to play in driving positive change,” says Simon.

Helen Briggs, Senior Buyer at Griffiths, continues: “How we manage our supply chain has become much more proactive. Whether it’s the onboarding stage, when an order is raised, or the day-to-day management of our suppliers, we’re much more informed and driven in terms of how we’re taking control of and developing our network.

“To upskill our staff, Constructionline worked closely with us to formalise the platform’s user list across our business, and then rolled out a comprehensive training programme,” says Helen. “We’ve trained over 100 users on how to get the most out of the platform, which has had a big impact on our business. Feedback from the team has been incredibly positive, too. Rather than having to spend time following up on supplier competence, we’re able to secure our supply chain right from the very start.”

Having a dedicated account manager and one point of contact has also been hugely valuable for Griffiths.

“I speak to our account manager, Angus, most days,” says Helen. “He’s just as invested in Griffiths’ success as we are – it very much feels like we’re going on this journey together.”

Results

Since Griffiths moved to Constructionline for their supply chain management in 2022, they have achieved a host of impressive results. In the space of just over a year, the business has increased its supply network from 46% being Constructionline Gold or Platinum members, to an astonishing 100%.

Both Griffiths and its suppliers are seeing the benefits Constructionline can bring to tenders, too. By being able to say its supply chain is 100% Constructionline Gold, companies can reap the rewards by making sure their bid stands out from the competition.

“We want to nurture greater collaboration and build long-term relationships with our supply chain,” says Helen. “And by working with subcontractors and helping to elevate their standards, they can win more work. That’s been the best part of this journey; how Griffiths, Constructionline and our subcontractors have worked together to achieve one common goal, securing the supply chain.”

Throughout this journey, Constructionline has collaborated with Griffiths’ subcontractors too, evidencing the value of being on the platform and ensuring they have the policies and procedures in place to meet the Constructionline Gold standard. “With Constructionline, subcontractors aren’t simply going to be landed with a load of onboarding documentation and then left to their own devices,” adds Helen. Because of these efforts, everyone is working towards a safer and more compliant and positive culture for the construction industry.

“When speaking to subcontractors, the question became, ‘What are you going to lose by not being on Constructionline?’,” Helen continues. “If they’re not on our approved suppliers list, then these companies are going to miss out on valuable business opportunities. We want the confidence of knowing our suppliers are working to the highest standards of health and safety. Furthermore, by being on Constructionline, these suppliers have the chance to not only work with Griffiths, but get their name in front of the UK’s largest network of construction buyers too.

“Another important benefit has been the ability to reduce our supplier questionnaire set. When onboarding new suppliers, we’ve been able to align questions that we would have previously asked with Acclaim Accreditation’s SSIP scheme [included in Constructionline Gold]. This has cut our question set by 50%. Not only has this streamlined the onboarding set-up for suppliers, making their lives easier, but also made the whole process far more efficient for us too. From both our perspectives, there are real gains to be made by removing this duplication.”

From Marketplace Live events to Marketplace and Risk Radar, Constructionline offers a wide range of services, insights and opportunities, all helping grow Griffiths’ project pipeline, mitigate risk throughout the supply chain and strengthen relationships with its suppliers.

“I’m excited about what can be accomplished in the next 12 months with Constructionline,” Helen concludes, “wherever Constructionline goes next – in terms of innovation, new modules and compliance – Griffiths will follow, because we’ve enjoyed incredible success to date in doing so.”

To learn more about Constructionline, get in touch with our experts to book a live demo.