Delivering PPE during a pandemic

There was not a national health service that was unaffected by the sudden and jarring shortage of PPE at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The wild west market conditions were global, and even with powerful infrastructures, big budgets and expensive systems, government procurement teams across the globe fell woefully short. A little further down the food chain, the situation was no less stark.

Without the parliamentary heft or gravitas, those operating in the care sector were forced to feed off the crumbs left by their respective governments. And while nobody doubts that hospitals treating critically sick patients should have been given priority for PPE, it didn’t make the scenario any less grave for those working in care homes.

“We have a number of clients in the care sector,” explains I-Tel’s Melvin Gauci. “With even the UK Government unable to secure requisite equipment, care home supply chains were under significant strain. Prices for key items had soared by almost 1000%, while fraudulent, uncertified and illegal products were flooding the market, exacerbating the problem. It left a number of our clients at risk of not being able to deliver vital care.”

Finding a fix

The biggest challenging facing the care sector was establishing bona fide and reliable supply chains. Doing so would guarantee a steady supply of PPE that would allow I-Tel’s care sector clients to continue to provide care and to prevent further disruptions.

“Early decisive action was taken, and it was clear that a consortium style approach would yield the best results,” says Melvin. “By forecasting and consolidating the requirements of all our healthcare clients we could leverage economies of scale for volume order price marks and supply a standardised product that had undergone the necessary legal checks and certification authenticity.

“Our team liaised with all our care sector clients to establish a stock forecast for the coming months.  Once the volumes were identified our procurement team engaged with our fully vetted supply chain to negotiate pricing and delivery.”

At the time, sourcing nitrile gloves was a major issue for the care sector. But with some creative thinking, I-Tel found a solution. Through its contacts in the automotive industry, I-Tel was able to source large volumes of medical grade nitrile gloves from Renault. The car maker had a vast surplus because it wasn’t open or operational. All their available stock from around the UK was secured and diverted to the care sector.

Preparing for the future

It was widely known that the care sector had suffered significant shortages in securing PPE and other vital equipment required to do their job. Through I-Tel’s service that risk was not only mitigated but significantly reduced in the medium to long term. The company’s creative thinking, access to wider markets and agility secured much needed PPE equipment that allowed its care sector clients to continue their core activities and benefit from substantial cost savings.

“Moving forward, we’ve taken significant steps to mitigate risk in the future,” Melvin adds. “We’ve set up an MHRA certified and accredited supply chain for our care sector clients that provides consistency in brand, price and quality across the organisation.

“Moreover, through our stock forecasting and monitoring function, our clients are able to keep a close watch on stock levels and predict future use and requirements. This ability cross references with the global marketplace allows them to buy their required goods ahead of time and prevent shortages.”

itelgroup.co.uk

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Managing Director and founding partner at I-Tel Group. Mel has been instrumental in transforming the business from a start-up cartridge manufacturing facility to an innovative forward thinking procurement company.

With 15 years at the helm and in depth knowledge of I.T. infrastructure and data analysis I-Tel Group is today one of the latest key players in the indirect procurement space.

A co-founder from the outset Andy has headed the operations team for I-Tel group. An engineer by trade Andy has a vast experience in manufacturing, logistics and warehousing.

Overseeing the day to day complexities of our hybrid model and ensuring all the individual parts function to produce the seamless highly efficient business model we see today.

Paul has over 30 years’ experience in B2B sales in both the public and private sector and heads up our client services division. Overseeing high value public and private sector contracts Paul has in depth knowledge of the industry.

Key contact to senior management and C suite clients with a problem solving, customer service excellence ideology.

An impressive background with blue chip companies Dee is a former global B2B Commercial manager for Dyson. A proven track record in marketing and communications Dee is responsible for I-Tel’s client onboarding and messaging.

With huge experience in strategic international campaigns and working effectively in cross-functional teams Dee brings strong commercial acumen alongside an excellent ability to interact and influence at all levels.

James is a fellow of the institute of chartered accountants and has held senior positions with PwC and most recently Azets. He plays a pivotal role in providing financial direction and guidance for integrated solutions.

Experienced in dealing with group reorganisations, acquisitions and disposals and has significant experience of working with companies under UK GAAP, US GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Gareth is a qualified, senior commercial solicitor with 30 years’ experience. As counsel to the directors Gareth brings a wealth of experience to enhance I-Tel’s legal compliance and ensure supply chain legitimacy.

Overseeing all our commercial agreements and supporting the individual requirements of our clients, Gareth brings tremendous credibility to the whole organisation.

Gareth has over 19 years’ experience in commercial procurement contract management across both public and private sector. Holding senior positions at the Ministry of Justice and Turner and Townsend Gareth has overseen several multi million-pound contracts.

Guiding I-Tel in best practice and sustainability while offering practical solutions to steer our procurement team towards red tape reduction and compliant, efficient services.

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In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer a pharetra ante. Sed non porttitor purus, vitae pretium erat. Proin dapibus dapibus sapien, in euismod elit venenatis at.

In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt qualified, Dan’s fourteen years of international consultancy and company directorship has seen stints in various sectors including Blockchain & Fintech, CRM & Website Development, Data & Analytics, Digital Media, Manufacturing, Private Healthcare and Property Investment.

With a proven track record of introducing automation and systems to increase profitability and reduce waste, Dan’s forte lies in the establishment and documentation of new processes and the subsequent training and measurement of the change impact.

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In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer a pharetra ante. Sed non porttitor purus, vitae pretium erat. Proin dapibus dapibus sapien, in euismod elit venenatis at.

In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer a pharetra ante. Sed non porttitor purus, vitae pretium erat. Proin dapibus dapibus sapien, in euismod elit venenatis at.

In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer a pharetra ante. Sed non porttitor purus, vitae pretium erat. Proin dapibus dapibus sapien, in euismod elit venenatis at.

In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer a pharetra ante. Sed non porttitor purus, vitae pretium erat. Proin dapibus dapibus sapien, in euismod elit venenatis at.

In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer a pharetra ante. Sed non porttitor purus, vitae pretium erat. Proin dapibus dapibus sapien, in euismod elit venenatis at.

In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer a pharetra ante. Sed non porttitor purus, vitae pretium erat. Proin dapibus dapibus sapien, in euismod elit venenatis at.

In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer a pharetra ante. Sed non porttitor purus, vitae pretium erat. Proin dapibus dapibus sapien, in euismod elit venenatis at.

In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer a pharetra ante. Sed non porttitor purus, vitae pretium erat. Proin dapibus dapibus sapien, in euismod elit venenatis at.

In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer a pharetra ante. Sed non porttitor purus, vitae pretium erat. Proin dapibus dapibus sapien, in euismod elit venenatis at.

In iaculis, est ultrices interdum semper, lorem sapien consequat elit, nec viverra odio justo et dui. Quisque sed rutrum quam. In suscipit velit nec finibus sodales. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis.

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