Archive

March 13, 2023 In

IGM Financial

IGM Financial Embeds Sustainability in their Procurement Process 

IGM Financial is a leading wealth and asset management company supporting financial advisors and the clients they serve in Canada, and institutional investors throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Through its operating companies, IGM provides a broad range of financial planning and investment management services to support Canadian’s in meeting their lifelong financial goals.

In 2022, IGM Procurement identified a strategic opportunity to further embed the company’s top-level sustainability priorities within its procurement processes and hired Reeve to support them in developing a framework for internal capacity building on sustainable procurement for Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), and procurement operations.

Reeve engaged a multitude of key internal stakeholders in a series of formal interviews to inform a current state benchmarking assessment. This provided a snapshot of IGM’s baseline on sustainable procurement activity at the inception of the project. This internal current state exercise was followed by a similar external scan of industry competitors and similar organizations to summarize how IGM’s sustainable procurement processes compared to its financial sector peers. Upon the completion of the internal Current State and external Peer Review assessments, Reeve undertook the following:

  • Development of a strategic Learning and Development Plan to guide knowledge and capacity building within IGM’s various procurement teams (Strategic Sourcing, SRM, and Procurement Operations), complete with a schedule and library of key activities as well as various levels of engagement and corresponding desired learning outcomes.
  • Delivery of a 90-minute Training Session on the foundations of sustainable procurement, sharing case studies, and learning and development activities with over 30 stakeholders from Strategic Sourcing, SRM, and Procurement Operations
  • Development of a High Impact Procurement Opportunities List complete with 10-15 of IGM’s spend categories and their unique sustainability risks and opportunities
  • Creation of Key Performance Indicators and example targets for IGM to measure sustainable procurement activity and outcomes over time.
  • Delivery of an Executive Summary Presentation to provide an overview of the project and next steps to senior leadership.

At the completion of Reeve’s phase of work with IGM, the organization was well equipped with a comprehensive roadmap to guide their procurement teams’ learning and knowledge development on sustainability, of which several activities are already underway. Learning activities and internal capacity building is a key priority for IGM Procurement for 2023. The HIPO List has forecasted several key commodity categories that will be actioned on in 2023-2024, with outcomes and processes tracked by IGM’s set of Key Performance Indicators for sustainable procurement.

March 6, 2023 In

Ontario Society of Professional Engineers

OSPE Promotes Gender Equity in Engineering 

The engineering industry comprises approximately 14% practicing female engineers. One third of engineer graduates never enter the field due to their perceptions of the industry being inflexible and non-supportive of women, while one half of female engineers leave due to working conditions, lack of advancement, or low salary. On behalf of their members and in partnership with Women and Gender Equality Canada, Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) wanted to address this problem. OSPE established a project to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) performance in engineering companies and support women to stay in the engineering field. Increasing gender equity in engineering not only addresses a shortage of workers but can also increase industry innovation due to more diverse views when tackling problems.

The focus of the project was influencing public sector buyers to increase EDI performance requirements in their public infrastructure projects. Public sector organizations are the largest spenders on infrastructure and, therefore, engineering services, so they are a powerful lever in the engineering industry. OSPE engaged Reeve Consulting as experts in public sector procurement to support them in their work to influence public sector procurement processes and increase EDI requirements in public projects.

Reeve provided in-depth training on public sector procurement processes, and the topics of EDI, then provided the staff with opportunities to implement their knowledge through activities, and an in-person workshop.

Reeve Consulting provided the following deliverables:

  1. eLearning program for OSPE team
  2. Webinar #1 Public sector procurement processes and how to implement EDI into procurement
  3. Webinar #2 – Skills for delivering an advocacy campaign with public sector organizations
  4. Half-day In-Person Workshop– Campaign strategy and implementation

The eLearning program provided OSPE staff with adequate background information regarding sustainable procurement. This information was provided through videos and reading materials to equip them for the webinars.

Webinar #1 dived into the world of procurement- understanding public sector procurement, and how sustainability is implemented specifically in construction service contracts. Webinar #2 allowed staff to learn more about the topics of EDI, specifically related to EDI performance in suppliers, how engineering firms could respond to procurement criteria, and how women would benefit from EDI policies, procedures and initiatives.

Through the in-person workshop in Toronto, Reeve Consulting ensured that the advocacy staff had a deep understanding of the procurement processes and were confident talking about equity, diversity, and inclusion in procurement. To build on this knowledge and to activate the learning, Reeve guided OSPE staff with activities to confidently deliver their value proposition and to be aware of potential public sector concerns. OSPE used stakeholder maps to prioritize advocacy engagements, drawing on Reeve’s established network of public sector clients.

Reeve Consulting concluded the project with OSPE advocacy staff feeling confident and well-prepared to engage with stakeholders after the delivery of the project.

December 24, 2022 In

Asian Development Bank

Sustainable Procurement Strategy Peer Review and Training 

Asian Development Bank (ADB) wants to use its influence as a major financer of infrastructure projects to advance a host of sustainability objectives as articulated in their ADB 2030 Strategy. Part of their success will be helping their clients effectively apply sustainable procurement principles within the bidding and contracting phases of various projects. To effectively play this role, ADB needed to address a skills and knowledge gap that existed within their staff related to leading practices in sustainable procurement. Reeve Consulting was retained to create tools and training programs to help develop confidence with their internal staff, contractors, and stakeholders to integrate sustainability into procurement processes and decisions.

In phase 1 of the project, ADB had an internal Strategic Procurement Planning Guide, but needed advisory services to review the document for quality assurance. Reeve played an expert advisor role to ensure the Guidance document was customized and effectively presented.

In phase 2, ADB determined the need for staff to be confident in identifying sustainability risks and assessments in project supply chains. Staff, contractors, and stakeholders mentioned that their most common barriers to integrating sustainability into their procurement process was lack of time and understanding of how to introduce sustainability criteria into the project.

After revision of the document, Reeve was chosen by ADB to host a series of virtual and in-person training sessions for ADB staff, contractors and external stakeholders in Jakarta and Manila. The goal of these training sessions is to support on-going learning, specifically in behavior change to embed sustainability in their project procurement process. A series of tools were used to deliver these sessions from e-learning modules, and webinars, to in-person workshops, case studies and seminars.

The learning sessions were broken up into 6 courses to target the appropriate.

Courses included:

  • E-Learning Materials
  • Basic Procurement Course
  • Comprehensive Sustainable Procurement Course
  • Project-Specific Sustainable Procurement Training
  • Executive and Management Level Sustainable Procurement Briefing
  • Market Facing Course

Reeve performed pre- and post-training learning assessment to measure the effectiveness of achieving learner desired outcomes. Groups that receiving training became well-oriented with the process of integrating sustainability into the planning process of large infrastructure projects, from conducting sustainability risk assessments to translating risks and opportunities into purchasing criteria. The ADB learning group is now well equipped to incorporate meaningful sustainable procurement decisions to improve economic development within Southeast Asia.

Next steps: Reeve is excited to continue this work with ADB in 2023 with plans for full scale deployment of the Sustainable Procurement processes and procedures. We are excited to see ADB continue the Sustainable Procurement movement across Southeast Asia!

 

December 23, 2022 In

FIFA World Cup 2026 Canada Soccer

Sustainability Programming

As the national sport organization spearheading Canada’s involvement in FIFA World Cup (FWC) 2026, Canada Soccer was tasked with creating and securing support for a National Hosting Concept (NHC) that laid out a vision for the 2026 FWC. The NHC was used to secure financial commitments from various levels of government and sponsors. In order to meet their expectations, it was critical to have a sustainability vision for the tournament and outline plans for addressing issues such as climate change, diversity and inclusion, and zero waste.

With experience working with three Olympic Organizing Committees, Reeve Consulting was retained to develop the sustainability portion of the NHC and ensure commitments from the United Bid phase were embedded in the newest vision for the event. It was expected to deliver impactful programs that would manage risk and catalyze key objectives.

Working closely with stakeholders from Canada Soccer and the candidate Host Cities under tight deadlines, Reeve created a simple and compelling sustainability narrative entitled: “Sustainability+”. This was both a key section within the NHC and a theme that was integrated into the venues, human rights and transportation sections. The result of this effort was that Canada Soccer has been successful in acquiring the support needed to continue their planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Stakeholder expectations were fulfilled and Sustainability+ sets out the framework for the next phase of sustainability planning at the Host City level.

UNEP
December 23, 2022 In

United Nations Environment Programme

Sustainability Programming for National Governments and Capacity Building Training

Reeve advised on the development and implementation of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) programs for national governments across the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Reeve participated in the writing of several publications, including case studies and a comparative analysis of sustainability programs across four national governments from the Asia-Pacific region.

Reeve provided training workshops in Beijing at an international sustainable public procurement conference organized by the Government of China, the United Nations and the Green Public Procurement and Ecolabelling Network to share best practices and collaborate on strategic implementation of sustainable public procurement.

December 23, 2022 In

VF Imagewear

Best Practice Research on Wholesale Athletic Apparel

Commissioners of all USA professional sports leagues made commitments to leverage the influence of sports to promote environmental impact. Majestic Athletic (a subsidiary of VF Imagewear), an Atlanta, Georgia based apparel company that supplies uniforms and fan-wear for professional leagues, wanted to increase their awareness of market trends for sustainable sports fan apparel.

Reeve Consulting conducted an in-depth scan of franchises in the four professional leagues, NHL, NFL, MLB, and NBA, to understand the sustainability focus of each organization and to determine best options for sustainable fan-wear.

Methods for research included:

  • Interviews with sustainability and merchandising representatives from several major franchises
  • Review league and third party sustainability reporting
  • Desktop research on teams and venues’ sustainability initiatives

Results and findings from interviews were then provided and presented to VF Imagewear’s Director of Sustainability, who then presented at the 2015 Green Sports Alliance Summit in Chicago, Illinois. By tapping into market insights, VF Imagewear was well set-up for successful sustainable product launches.

December 23, 2022 In

Vancouver International Airport

Social, Indigenous and Environmental Procurement Policy and Plan

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) identified a need to substantially advance their Sustainability Strategy. The Director of Sustainability wanted to work with a cross-functional steering committee to develop a procurement policy and plan that would engage existing and potential vendors.

Reeve was brought in to provide guidance to the Steering Committee of key internal stakeholders from across YVR to collaboratively develop and socialize a new Social, Environmental and Indigenous Purchasing Policy and plan at YVR.

Our project team included two consultants specializing in Indigenous engagement (Aaron Aubin Consulting and Beringia Community Planning) who worked with key YVR stakeholders in the development of an Indigenous Peoples Engagement Strategy. The Strategy was collaboratively created through a series of meetings, employee workbooks, and a full-day interactive workshop.

Reeve worked with the internal team to design the policy framework and then co-presented the plan to the executive team, securing unanimous support for the initiative. The key outcome the Airport Authority desired was internal support for a systematic approach to applying sustainability to procurement. The Reeve team was subsequently retained to develop action plans for each of the projects and initiatives proposed in the Strategy, providing employees with ready guidance on budgeting, distribution of responsibilities, and workplans.

The Social, Environmental and Indigenous Purchasing policy is now being applied to over $200 million dollars of spending annually with new work being done around specific social objectives in the capital spending program.

December 23, 2022 In

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games

Sustainable Procurement Policy & Social Compliance Programming

Sustainability is a vital element of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. The Organizing Committee (VANOC) identifies sustainability as one of its core values, making explicit reference to it in their vision statement. VANOC’s plan for the 2010 Winter Games is to leave a positive legacy through the 4 pillars of sustainability – environmental, social, ethical and Indigenous – and demonstrating how this can be incorporated throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

It was expected that almost every VANOC bid request would have a requirement for suppliers to provide information about sustainability. Reeve Consulting was hired to design, develop and implement the VANOC’s Buy Smart Program. With VANOC’s goals for sustainability, the Buy Smart program ensured that goods and services procured by the Committee came from suppliers that delivered social and environmental value. Buy Smart incorporated criteria into the procurement process, including requirements designed to engage the Indigenous business community and social enterprises.

 

VANOC’s Buy Smart Program achieved award winning status for it’s impressive Sustainability and Indigenous Inclusive framework. In the final year of Games preparations, over $2.3 million dollars of goods and services were sourced from Indigenous contractors and entrepreneurs and social enterprises from the Vancouver area. This was achieved by direct contracting as well as supporting major suppliers to collaborate with, and subcontracting to Indigenous businesses and social enterprises.

 

December 23, 2022 In

Special Olympics USA Games

Sustainability Strategy and Action Plans, Impact Report, Playbook and Toolkit

The Organizing Committee for the Special Olympics USA Games saw a major opportunity for the USA Games to showcase community benefit initiatives, skill-building and work opportunities for people with Intellectual Disabilities, and public education on social inclusion and environmental stewardship.

Reeve, in partnership with David Muller, worked closely with the Organizing Committee to develop

a comprehensive sustainability program—the first of its kind in the Special Olympics movement. Reeve facilitated a strategic planning exercise to produce the Sustainability Strategy for the games and six Action Plans to activate on goals of inclusion, local economic development and environmental stewardship.  With coaching from Reeve, the Organizing Committee successfully promoted sustainable procurement as a key strategy to deliver on social and environmental impact.

By setting a new standard for sustainability within the Special Olympics USA Games, Reeve, Muller and the team at Special Olympics were able to leave a lasting positive legacy in USA. Although promoting balance and inclusion is at the core of Special Olympics’ sustainability initiatives, they that future Games will meet this standard and will re-define limits with every opportunity. The legacy resources developed by the team share achievements and lessons learned to inspire and assist future organizers, operators, sponsors, and other stakeholders of large sporting events.

December 22, 2022 In

Western University

Sustainable Procurement Strategy & Action Plan 

Western University ranks as a global and national leader amongst post-secondary institutions based on its efforts and commitment towards sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). With sustainability being a main theme for the university, the Senior Finance and Procurement staff identified procurement as a priority area for Western’s continued advancement and excellence in sustainability. Western looked for a roadmap and guidance on developing a strategic sustainable procurement program that better aligns their values with their existing priorities and sustainability commitments.

Reeve Consulting supported Western in understanding the maturity of its existing sustainable procurement. Reeve learned about the university’s current practices and key strategic opportunities by engaging with internal business units and stakeholders. Reeve then developed a Sustainable Procurement Action Plan to inform Western on first steps and to adopt a set of customized tools and procedures.

Deliverables for this project included:

  • Current State Assessment
  • Strategy and Action Plan to guide Western on next steps
  • High Impact Procurement Opportunities (HIPO) list and support on initial implementation
  • Toolkit to assist in applying sustainability within procurement services
  • Guidelines for staff across all departments
  • Short list of processes and outcome KPIs to measure effectiveness of the program

This project provided staff members and the core project team with common understanding of a high performing sustainable procurement program and equipped them with confidence to pilot sustainability within their procurement opportunities. The university now has clear visions, goals, and a roadmap for building an effective Sustainable Procurement program and a prioritized list of procurement opportunities for which to pilot sustainability within.

Next Steps: Reeve Consulting will be working with Western University for Phase 2 of this project in 2023 to further develop their sustainability commitments through this Implementation Phase.