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An application was made to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the restoration of the iconic Upminster Windmill. On approval of this application oneSource, on behalf of London Borough of Havering, turned to Bloom and NEPRO for help in finding a supplier with expertise in the niche area of windmill restoration.
OneSource is a specialist procurement support service, working with Local Authorities across London, including London Borough of Havering. As part of their turn-key solution for procurement, oneSource recommends NEPRO managed by Bloom, for the procurement of professional services.
“ It demonstrated that due to their robust and wide-reaching supply chain, Bloom is able to identify and access even the most niche suppliers.”
“ Bloom was able to provide a speedy and robust solution that would not have occurred to us.”
Hassan Iqbal, Strategic Business Partner, oneSource
The challenge
London Borough of Havering and Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust required an experienced Project Manager to manage the complete restoration of the iconic Upminster Windmill.
The Project Manager needed to work within budget and specified timescales, while also ensuring as much of the original material as possible was conserved. This included the restoration of the internal timber machinery to original working order.
Our solution
Utilising NEPRO, Bloom was able to fulfil the outcomes specified by oneSource on behalf of London Borough of Havering.
Bloom used its skill and supplier management expertise to source an expert supplier from the Netherlands. The selected supplier’s costing came in at 24% below budget, significantly less than any other quotation oneSource had received outside of Bloom and NEPRO.
The chosen supplier, a UK-based micro SME specialising in arts and heritage restoration, used their network to source an expert from the Netherlands. They were able to travel to London, attend the site, complete the analysis and produce the final report while in the Netherlands without incurring any additional expenses.
The ability to source and compliantly onboard niche suppliers from outside the UK, meant Bloom was able to provide a unique, speedy and robust solution that may not have occurred to oneSource at first.
The partnership that has followed between oneSource, London Borough of Havering and Bloom has contributed to NEPRO becoming fully mandated for the procurement of professional services within the Council.
To date, London Borough of Havering has procured around 200 projects via NEPRO, including adult social care and fire risk training programmes.
Bloom also helped the Council engage with local suppliers. Holding a supplier day gave consultants already working with the Council the opportunity to ask questions to key Bloom staff and better understand new processes and how they can work more efficiently with Bloom.
View PDF: London Borough Of Havering Case Study