Member Article

MML appoints Altius to assure contractor compliance

Facilities Management specialist Maintenance Management Ltd (MML) has appointed Altius Vendor Assessment to manage contractor pre-assessment, compliance and accreditation on behalf of its high street retail customers.

MML provides an outsourced hard and soft FM service on behalf of major national retailers. Its partnership with Altius provides an evidence-based online system for checking and managing the competences of suppliers – from health and safety compliance through to financial health, insurance cover and other commercial risk factors.

Previously, MML managed pre-qualification of contractors in-house, but this was very time consuming. While the process was rigorous, the information was stored on a number of databases and spreadsheets. The Altius system provides access to all data and evidence via a single online portal, including management reporting tools.

By using the Altius compliance system MML has been able to free up staff resources to focus more proactively on other areas of procurement management and supplier development.

“Altius applies the same robust approach to analysing and minimising risk, but it also offers comprehensive commercial checks,” said MML Procurement Specialist Janet Rooth. “When entering into long-term contracts with suppliers, it’s critical to know whether they are in strong financial health. Altius looks in depth at a range of commercial factors and constantly monitors contractors’ finances to provide the necessary assurances.”

She added: “We looked at a number of assessment providers, but Altius stood out because of the breadth of areas that they assess and monitor. The wider Altius Assured Vendors network is very useful for identifying new suppliers in areas where we have gaps. We can easily identify pre-qualified contractors who meet our criteria and extend our trusted supplier network.”

Gary Plant, Managing Director of Altius Vendor Assessment said: “We’re delighted to partner with MML. Ours is a real-time web based system that’s transparent to both clients and suppliers. It maintains a complete audit trail of every piece of data and every change made to it. In the event of a serious problem arising from work undertaken, our clients are able to prove due diligence in their selection process and in managing the works.”

The award winning Altius system is used by other national organisations to improve their supply chain management and reduce risk and liability. These include: Morrisons, Airbus, Selfridges, Debenhams and Arcadia Group.

Altius is a member of Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) and also provides consultancy and advice on supplier management to organisations such as the Rail Safety and Standards Board.

Further information www.altiusva.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Altius .