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Housing Forum Partnering Toolkit Getting Started - The Pre-conditions for Succesful Partnering

Integrating the Client Organisation - Internal Partnering

As Sir Michael Latham frequently states in his lectures and seminars "If you are not partnering internally - communicating with your colleagues, your members and customers; working as an integrated client team - then it is unlikely that you will successfully partner with external organisations."

The fragmented roles within the traditional client structure are a major barrier to organisational integration and to the commitment to a fully integrated construction client role in many housing organisations. In order to meet the current expectations of them, clients need to operate within a best practice culture which means working more collaboratively with internal departments and stakeholders. These include legal, finance, and audit teams. New approaches to construction procurement should start with a new ways of working inside your organisation by focusing on a managed approach to internal 'client - side' partnering, as follows:

• The planned creation of an integrated client structure based on leadership and commitment is the way to break down suspicion and mistrust.
• Every one has a part to play in best practice procurement and partnering.
• The strategic and intelligent client can achieve greater benefits for the customer than under traditional procurement.
• Integrated client teams will have a totally new and collaborative internal culture and they will possess a diverse range of modern skills such as:
  • Performance Management
  • Risk and Value Management
  • Programme Management
  • Change Management
  • Procurement Skills
  • Contract + Project Management
  • Legal + Audit Skills
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Stakeholder Management
  • Relationship Management
  • Communications
• Key roles and responsibilities need to be agreed for client teams and a coherent client structure needs to be established to manage the overall re-investment process.
• Every layer of the client organisation should have a defined client role to ensure that the key internal players are involved and committed to best practice procurement, as suggested by the IDeA/OGC guidance

Barriers to Change can be overcome by:

• Setting out the differences between the old style of working and the new style - internal partnering
• Evaluating the costs and benefits, including the longer term benefits, of the new style of working against those of the old style
• Demonstrating how these will not be achieved without the changes necessary achieve internal partnering.

Examples:

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council started the process of integrating the partnering team by running a two day workshop to develop shared understanding of the objectives.

View demonstration project.

CityWest Homes

CityWest Homes, Westminster invested heavily in training and proactive consultation with all parties either directly or indirectly affected or involved in the development and implementation of their strategic partnering arrangement.

View demonstration project.