Supply Chain Insight

Summary

The team were engaged by CityFibre to undertake an extensive review of their operating and engagement model. The project involved conducting extensive market research and producing a detailed supply chain recommendations report. This was informed by conducting workshops with internal stakeholders and Build Partners. The project focused on strengthening CityFibre’s overall strategy and set out specific actions to enhance ways of working, increase efficiency and productivity and improve relationships with the supply chain.

The Requirement  

Deecon were engaged by CityFibre to undertake an extensive review of their operating and engagement model.

The Solution  

Deecon conducted extensive research and market insight to illustrate current and future forecasts in the construction and fibre rollout market in the UK. This included providing cutting-edge research on the performance of the construction and infrastructure sector, along with a clear breakdown of regional fibre rollout and the factors influencing any variations. The insights also accounted for wider market dynamics in the UK economy, evaluating the implications of Brexit for available labour resources in the sector.

To provide strategic recommendations on enhancing productivity and achieving long-term results for CityFibre, the Deecon team conducted various stakeholder engagement sessions to collect feedback on how CityFibre could improve its processes. Our team conducted 26 internal engagement sessions including discussions with regional directors, area build managers, regional contract managers and senior quantity surveyors, as well as engagement sessions and surveys across 18 Build Partners. These sessions uncovered central themes such as ways of working, contractual and commercial understanding, technical delivery, and labour and subcontractor management.

The surveys asked Build Partners a series of questions on a Likert Scale to identify areas of improvement in CityFibre’s processes. The responses were then analysed by region to identify region-specific issues and differences in Build Partner experiences. This provided a more nuanced understanding of the perception of CityFibre’s operating model and where to target improvements.

Communication was integral to the successful completion of the project and ensured alignment with CityFibre’s strategic objectives. Our team scheduled frequent touchpoints with the Client and tracked key milestones and performance metrics to present progress towards the final deliverable. Interim project reports were also produced and provided in-depth accounts of current findings, allowing any deviations from the strategic objectives to be identified and corrected. 

The Results  

Deecon successfully delivered a Market Insight, Supply Chain Insight and Recommendations Report, which identified 12 national insights and 35 key recommendations. 

The reports provided detailed insight into the feedback from internal stakeholders and Build Partners. The recommendations were aligned with CityFibre’s strategic aims, namely to attract, retain and grow the labour force, improve ease of doing business and increase productivity and quality. Integrating CityFibre’s aims into the engagement sessions and production of the final report ensured strategic alignment with their long-term objectives. 

The recommendations led to the development of a National Action Plan, which outlined 10 overarching actions. Within each action, recommendations were grouped together to provide a step-by-step plan and timeline for implementation. Each activity was further categorised as either ‘In-flight’ or ‘Future’, to distinguish between recommendations already being discussed at CityFibre versus those that required further changes to processes in order to be completed. This methodological approach provided a digestible and actionable plan to improve their operating model across productivity, quality, labour retention and ease of doing business.

Following the engagement, CityFibre chose to translate the recommendations into a comprehensive improvement programme to deliver 28 initiatives. Deecon were appointed to support this transition, the business prioritisation and to manage the programme.