Synergy in procurement
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FRESH HOPE: Communication and synergy in procurement WRITTEN BY
HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY
STUART IRVING
M AY 2 0 1 9
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Darrell Johnson, Procurement and Property Services Manager at Fresh Hope, discusses synergy between facilities management and procurement
F
or more than 170 years, a network of over 95 churches across New South Wales and the ACT, has coordinated and led
benevolence services, support for the elderly and community welfare initiatives. Headquartered in Rhodes, NSW, Fresh Hope is a non-profit organisa04
tion dedicated to transforming individual lives and whole communities through aid and ministry. The company functions as a group organiser for Fresh Hope Care, Fresh Hope Venues, and Fresh Hope Mission and Ministry. Darrell Johnson has been in the elderly care space for 10 years, and in the procurement industry for just under a decade. In April 2017, he joined Fresh Hope as a procurement coordinator, and has since seen his responsibilities grow, rising to Procurement and Property Services Manager in March 2019. Excitedly, Johnson explains that the combination of procurement management and facilities oversight in a single role has the potential to create significant benefits for the company. “Procurement and facilities management are really one and the same,” he says. “It’s a journey of synergy between the two; the strategic alignment
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of the two functions really helps an
support from all my directors and the
organisation move forward.” Johnson
team. We’re viewed as an integral part
discusses his role at the com-
of the organisation. We’re a vital piece
pany and Fresh Hope’s journey to
of the puzzle when it comes to strategy:
standardise and transform its procure-
ensuring compliance and governance
ment operations in order to continue
– in many ways, we’re an information
scaling sustainably in the future.
gateway to the company choosing the
Johnson has seen the business
right course of action. All contracts
community’s attitude to procurement
come through me to be double checked
change dramatically over the past
from a legal standpoint and so on.”
decade. “When I first started, procure-
As an organisation that coordinates
ment was always relegated to the back
operations across multiple agencies,
of the room and never really heard,” he
establishing an overarching procure-
recalls. “Now at Fresh Hope I’ve got full
ment infrastructure has been at the core
“ If I can help and make someone’s day easier, that will make my day easier too” — Darrell Johnson Procurement and Property Services Manager, Fresh Hope
of Johnson’s role. “We’ve centralised and streamlined our contracting and tendering process, as well as our documentation, policies and procedures,” he explains. “We’re transforming from an organisation that was very immature in this space, very siloed in its operations and supplier relationships, to a truly centralised company. We’ve transitioned from being all paper based, with a loose association of contract documents spread across the organisation, to being centralised onto a SharePoint site. Now, all of our policies
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Darrell Johnson Darrell Johnson is Procurement and Property Services Manager for Fresh Hope and has had many years’ experience working in Procurement and Property in an aged care sector. Darrell enjoys a reputation for being a tough but fair negotiator who has made significant cost-savings and process refinements to bring about positive change to organisations. Darrell strives to continue to learn and evolve in his role using his knowledge and experience from procurement and property and many other environments to bring positive change and insightful ideas to the table. Darrell is also currently studying a Bachelor of Law.
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“ We’re looking at developing more in the age care space and trying to hone in on the best way that we can help the communities there” — Darrell Johnson Procurement and Property Services Manager, Fresh Hope
force change; you have to take people on that journey with you; you have to explain and educate them on the benefits.” Communication not only helps Johnson’s team effect change that will improve Fresh Hope’s procurement process, but also makes changes to the procurement arm of the business that will benefit its other elements. “It’s about finding out from your stakeholders what would help them fulfil their roles better, because in turn that will make my role easier. If I can help and make someone’s day easier, that will make my day easier too,” Johnson says.
and procedures are readily available,
An emphasis on communication is
all our contracts are searchable with
more important than ever to Johnson
all their insurance documentation; we
and his team, since his expansion of
have access to anything we need from
responsibilities. Responsible for both
a compliance point of view.”
procurement and the management
As a procurement veteran who is
of Fresh Hope’s numerous facilities,
now managing the operations of Fresh
he maintains that if greater exchange
Hope’s facilities, Johnson stresses that
of information can be beneficially harn-
communication, and initiatives and
essed, the role extension will lead to
solutions to enable this communication,
increased synergy in the business.
are the key to success. “As an organi-
“It gives us more of a brief to look at what
sation, if we can’t communicate, we’re
we’re doing with our retirement living
dead in the water,” he says. “We’ve really
age care services. We’re now able to
got to understand who our stakehold-
deliver very strategically on certain
ers are. It’s also important that we don’t
issues,” Johnson says. “We’re looking w w w.fre shho pe. org . a u
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$100mn+ Approximate revenue per annum
1800s established
1,000+
Approximate number of employees
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13 at streamlining all our renovations so,
but to us as an organisation. It’s part
for example, we will have all our tiles,
of my remit to ensure stewardship
plumbing supplies and so on pre-
and sustainability for the organisa-
selected and included in our contract
tion,” he says.
to the supplier, so we can just say: ‘It’s
For Johnson, sustainability and new
this unit, it’s this colour scheme with
technology come hand in hand. “We’re
these appliances.’” This approach,
always looking at what the next big
Johnson believes, will also create
thing is. I’m looking at new technologies
budget synergies by streamlining and
that can monitor residents’ vitals wire-
consolidating the procure-to-pay
lessly while they’re lying in bed. We
process, as well as further empower-
also have a government grant to install
ing Fresh Hope to create positive
solar power in some of our age care
change in the community. “There are
facilities, and we’re looking at manag-
all sorts of things we can do that are
ing waste,” Johnson explains. “We
beneficial, not only to the community
realised we’ve regularly been throwing w w w.fre shho pe. org . a u
“ We’re transforming from an organisation that was very immature in this space to a truly centralised company” — Darrell Johnson Procurement and Property Services Manager, Fresh Hope
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away 65 tonnes of food from just one site. By cutting that down we’ve realised we can save money and make our operation more environmentally sustainable.” Fresh Hope is growing rapidly. “We’re looking at developing more in the age care space and trying to hone in on the best way that we can help the communities there,” Johnson says. “With regard to procurement and property, we’re looking to streamline and strengthen a lot more of our systems, policies and strategies for supporting the business.” He maintains that more digitalisation of the business is on the horizon, which will continue to empower Fresh Hope’s employees to focus on their true task: “Caring for our residents, looking after school camps, and working in the conference centre or for our outreach programs.”
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Level 1 3 Rider Boulevard Rhodes NSW 2138 AU T +(02) 8573 6000 www.freshhope.org.au