Moscow Tag

December 15, 2010 In Olympics, Reeve News

Round Two: Building our Second Environmental and Sustainable Procurement Program for the Winter Olympic Games

Being a part of the bid that brought the Winter Olympic Games to Vancouver in 2010 was a once in a lifetime opportunity – as was getting to work as an expert advisor to the 2010 Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) on the award-winning Buy Smart Program. So it is with great excitement that I undertake the opportunity to apply my experiences a second time by advising the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games on the development of their Environmental and Sustainable Procurement Program.

During a recent fact-finding and project kick-off visit to Moscow I met with members of the Sohci 2014 Executive Team as well as key staff in functional areas such as Procurement, Environment, Sustainability, Licensing, Food & Beverage, Cleaning & Waste, and Marketing. The purpose of these meetings was to confirm the vision for the project and begin the design of a comprehensive environmental and sustainable procurement program. Another main focus was to begin to identify high profile products and services for showcasing a green and sustainable Olympic Games. Potential areas of opportunity include local food, products with minimal packaging and joint ventures with local firms.

My time in Moscow was intense, enjoyable and I met many wonderful people, and overall the experience left me with a number of high-level impressions including the following:

Similarities with VANOC: While Moscow is half a world away from my hometown of Vancouver, I was struck by the similarities between the office of the Sochi Organizing Committee and VANOC. A number of elements felt very familiar including the open plan layout, long working hours, and incredibly dedicated, highly qualified staff. There were also a number of familiar Canadian faces including Dennis Hainault (advising on venue management) and Ron Holton (advising on risk management programming).

Magnitude of the project: Getting ready for the 2014 Olympics is a huge undertaking and includes a $30 billion investment in construction to create a brand new stadiums, hockey rinks, curling rinks, speed skating venue as well as re-building the nearby ski hill and rail line that travels between the mountain venue and Sochi.

Sophistication of project systems: While in Moscow I was introduced to the Enterprise Resource Planning System, a complex project management and procurement system for managing all products and materials purchased. In addition, the Organizing Committee has set up a centralized Project Planning Office that helps to coordinate all internal projects with the overall Master Plan for the Games.

Hope and vision: The environmental and sustainable procurement program is aiming to be a straightforward and practical program with the potential to have a significant impact in key areas such as energy efficiency, packaging and economic opportunities for the surrounding region. The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee is fortunate to have great staff teams in the Environment and Sustainability Functions – and I’m inspired by their passion to do great things for their country and honored to be a part of a new green movement within the Russian Federation.

I’m looking forward to returning to Moscow in early 2011 to finalize the design of the procurement program. I’m also hopeful that this partnership will continue beyond the program design phase and that Reeve Consulting will have the opportunity to support the ongoing implementation of the project leading up to the 2014 Winter Games.

November 26, 2010 In Reeve News, Sustainable Purchasing

Tim Reeve reports from Moscow: Environmental and Sustainable Purchasing for Sochi 2014

This week Tim Reeve has been in Moscow meeting with key members of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee regarding environmental and sustainable purchasing for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games.

Starting with two-days of intense fact finding meetings with functional areas of the Organizing Committee, Tim has spent the week learning about the scope of purchasing within key functions and the link between the Sustainable Management System and sourcing.

Tim reports that throughout his meetings there has been a high level of interest in environmental and sustainable purchasing from senior management, executives and staff. There has also been discussion of ambitious overall programs that would set new standards and benchmarks for sustainability within the Russian Federation. Key areas of opportunity include cleaning and waste, ceremonies, food and beverage, construction and overlay.

Head office of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, located in central Moscow near the Kremlin

Perhaps the most exciting news of the week is that the final Sustainable Management System has been approved by the Organizing Committee Executive.

Building on lessons learned from the successful Buy Smart Program for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Reeve Consulting will spend the next several weeks designing policies and procedures to move the Organizing Committee forward on their journey towards a green and sustainable games.

Follow Tim on Twitter @ReeveConsulting for updates on his time with the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee.

November 19, 2010 In Ethical Purchasing, Sustainable Purchasing, Waste Reduction

Reeve Consulting Invited to Work with Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee

On the heels of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic’s BuySmart Program’s success, Reeve Consulting has been approached by the Organizing Committee for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi to help design and build an environmental procurement and sustainable sourcing program.

Flickr / roland

A sustainable purchasing program will enable organizers of the 2014 Winter Games to leverage procurement to meet sustainability objectives including zero waste, carbon neutrality and sustainable economic development of the surrounding Krasnodar district. These targets have been outlined in both an environmental strategy adopted by the advisory committee in 2009 and subsequent environmental procurement policy drafted by Reeve Consulting and adopted by the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee in June of 2010.

Flickr / maiak.info

Reeve Consulting will be working with executives and senior managers from the Environmental Support and Sustainability departments of the Organizing Committee to build tools, develop procedures and identify high profile purchasing opportunities to support implementation of their sourcing policies.

Tim Reeve will be traveling to Moscow to meet with members of the Organizing Committee in late-November and again in February of 2011. Check back for updates from the field! You can also follow Tim’s trip on Twitter @ReeveConsulting.