MARKS & SPENCER
in the commercial discussions all the way through the lifetime of the contract ”, Newnham said , “ how can you be expected to understand the service and do a great deal going forward ?”
Still , to Newnham , procurement excellence is all about strategy . “ Once we ’ ve got the data , how do we make different decisions ?” he asked . “ How do we look at our supplier resilience and either help them to change the way they operate or switch to alternative supply sources ?”
Compared to other retailers , this mindset sets Marks & Spencer apart . “ You need to build a strong foundation and become business partners ”, Newnham said . “ You need to be known as a good negotiator . You need to be known as understanding the market .”
All in all , Newnham believes the pandemic has made Marks & Spencer stronger . “ Our procurement organisation is an unstoppable force ”, he said . “ You can ’ t let perfect be the enemy of the good . During COVID , the team had to drive operations forward . “ Better to achieve our targets on time rather than reach an absolutely perfect bar ”, he said . “ We reach 80 % perfect , and then we can ask : ‘ How can we do things better ?’”
As for the evolving role of procurement , Newnham is thrilled that his team ’ s recent work is helping Marks & Spencer adapt : “ Nothing ’ s too small . You ’ d be surprised — deliver a lot of 1 % changes and you make a real difference , it ’ s the British Cycling Marginal Gains rule .”
Going forward , the foundations of the company ’ s procurement strategy will be much more solid . After a transformative year , the company has stress-tested its systems , evaluated which ones work , and targeted those that it needs to improve . Newnham explained : “ We learned what we were good at .”
In some sense of the word , COVID- 19 helped Marks & Spencer change its perspective on what it meant to be in procurement . Currently , the company is re-envisioning its role in the global supply chain as well as its core strategies . “ Now we ’ re about agility ”, Newnham concluded . “ We ’ re about making decisions . We ’ re about being empowered . We ’ re about effecting change .” procurementmag . com 125