Getting on board
Five experts share 25 best practice tips for supply
chain involvement in construction projects.
• The
first things to be checked on the architects’ drawings are the size
and location of the supply storage room throughout the facility.
There will inevitably be corrections necessary. The tendency is to
overlook their importance especially when the primary focus is on
the space used for patient care.
• One
should always look beyond the point of delivery of supplies to the
nursing unit. The critical "last 100 feet" needs to be examined to
ensure the final delivery of the supply to the point of use is as
smooth and expeditious as possible.
•
Remember you not only need to consider the delivery of supplies and
equipment to the point of use, but you must also address the
logistics and processes for the removal of waste (medical and
otherwise), soiled linen and other materials and equipment. A lot of
what goes in must also come out.
•
Equipment storage must be planned not only for the immediate future
and also for what may be necessary in the years to come. Those
hospitals that did not address this in the past usually have
equipment stored either in hallways or locations too remote for easy
accessibility.
•
It is
frequently overlooked that supplies do not go directly from the
point of receipt to the points of storage or use. Therefore it is
necessary to ensure that staging areas are considered. Examples of
these are on the receiving docks, at points along lengthy transport
routes to allow for partial loads to be dropped and at the using
departments as a place to hold supplies prior to the put-away
process. Without these areas your logistics flow will be compromised
and labor costs increased.
– Michael Bohon, CPSM, CMRP,
founding principal,
HealthCare Solutions Bureau LLC, Show Low, AZ
• Review
operational practices (methods and systems) to lower costs during
and after construction project. Don’t rest on laurels, look for
others to share experiences and reduce costs. Facility project gives
you the opportunity to shine.
•
Emphasize purchasing/acquistion skills to lower purchasing costs,
including systems, hardware, finishes, terms and conditions, forward
buy, direct purchase, etc.
• Get
involved in selected related clinical activity that can offer
significant cost reductions. Promote Six Sigma/Lean principles
across the organization to influence others.
• Join
groups conducting site visits to similar institutions. During
informal conversations promote SCM and discuss alternatives. Pick up
ideas at these sites and network for the good of the order.
• Hone
your supply chain management skills and metrics, such as:
•
Resource productivity – inventory turns, labor productivity,
peer organization metrics, transportation, purchasing, etc.
•
Pick
your vendors’ brains in medical/surgical supplies, pharmacy,
laboratory, waste management, laundry, etc.
– James Dickow, president,
Dickow Consulting Group
LLC, Mequon, WI
•
Participate in weekly construction meetings and provide input.
• Assist
with the selection of your equipment planning firm.
• Engage
the assistance of your GPO for construction services, group buys,
negotiations and volume aggregation.
•
Establish and share standards with equipment planning firm.
•
Work
with the ggeneral contractor, equipment planner and suppliers in
tracking spending and savings through project end.
– Mark Kearschner, director, construction services,
Premier Inc.
• Supply
chain managers understand the need for prequalified vendor,
designer, supplier, and consultant bid lists.
• Supply
chain managers can insist on transparency by requiring open
competitive bids.
• Supply
chain managers can proactively develop a change order process that
will likely reduce the number of change orders coming in.
• Supply
chain managers can reduce supply chain complexity by insisting on –
right at the conceptual design phase – life-cycle costing, building
information management and integrated project delivery methods.
•
Supply
chain managers can engage an independent LEED consultant who can
identify the path of least resistance to accumulating LEED points
for a building, which in turn will attract benefactors, achieve
measurable energy efficiency, and act as a check and balance on both
the design and construction execution phases of a project.
– Mark Victors, director, support services
contracting,
GNYHA
Services
• Ask to
be included. Don’t take no for an answer. I have yet to find someone
who couldn’t give me a reason that I shouldn’t participate in a
construction project.
• Build a
collaborative relationship with your construction and plant
operations departments. Demonstrate that you have something to
offer, and that you are willing to support the final objective.
• Don’t
be obsessed with leading the process. Although there may be a few
individuals who know enough about construction to truly be at the
head of the table, such is the exception more than the rule. You
will be most effective as a participant, sounding board and
facilitator.
• Become
knowledgeable on the subject. There are plenty of resources that can
educate you on healthcare construction projects. Trade journals,
online resources and just asking the right questions can make you
feel comfortable with how the process works, the terminology that is
used, etc.
•
Don’t
be afraid or ask the tough – or easy – questions. A different
perspective is a wonderful thing. If you are at the table and don’t
understand why something is being done a certain way, raise the
issue. Being the devil’s advocate is not a negative, and will
actually benefit projects over time, especially as your knowledge
and understanding increases.
– William Stitt, CHL CRCST CMRP FAHRMM, vice
president, materials management, Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital,
New Brunswick, NJ
• Follow
the announcements that your organization is
expanding/renovating/building.
• Ask the
vice president of facilities/construction if you can take an active
seat on the team.
• Offer a
strategy that will help the team, including standardized equipment
specifications, negotiations and site support.
• Involve
your GPO as early as possible.
•
Over-communicate your successes to the team.
– Cheryl Stoddard, executive director, construction
services, MedAssets Supply Chain Systems
