4C Associates becomes approved GSCOP training provider
Procurement consultancy 4C Associates has been approved as a Grocery Supply Code of Practice training provider to the UK grocery trade sector. Failing to provide adequate training for staff when it comes to complying with developments could see grocers forfeit millions of pounds.
Founded in 2000, 4C Associates today has over 100 consultants working from offices in the UK and the Netherlands. The consultancy helps blue chip organisations optimise their procurement and sourcing organisation, and deliver bottom line savings across spend areas. 4C Associates works for medium sized enterprises and large corporations, including AstraZeneca, BAE Systems, Boots, GlaxoSmithKline, Hunkemöller and WorldPay. The firm is anticipating a busy coming period, thanks to issues thrown up by Brexit, and has been investing in its operations in recent months to strengthen them ahead of that.
Most recently, this saw 4C Associates announce a partnership with Scanmarket, one of the world’s premier providers of software solutions for sourcing, allowing 4C Associates to leverage the technology in engagements – to the benefit of the firm’s clients. The pan-European consultancy also launched a new range of software models to help its clients more rapidly address procurement and management issues. The 4C Analytics platform combines the knowledge of procurement and subject matter experts with cutting-edge data analytics technology to quickly collate, visualise and action insights.
Now, as 4C Associates seeks to further strengthen its credentials as a procurement expert, it has become an approved Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) training provider, recognised by the office of the Grocery Code Adjudicator (GCA). 4C will now be certified by the industry regulator as it continues to provide workshops tailored to work through specific issues the grocery sector encounters.
Simon Terry, CEO of 4C Associates, commented, “Our two training officers have trained more than 3,000 people from retailers and over 40 suppliers. Both have extensive senior level multiple grocer, discounter and independent business experience and use a broad spectrum of examples to bring to life the training.”
Illustrating the importance of adequate GSCOP training, 4C Associate’s approval follows the news that The Co-op has been found guilty of breaching the GSCOP on multiple counts. The debacle saw the grocery chain forced to pay costs of £1.3 million, and repay affected suppliers to the tune of £650,000. Incumbent GCA Christine Tacon saind in her findings that the Co-op must adequately train all employees on GSCOP, including anyone making decisions which affect a supplier’s commercial arrangements with it, and stressed all suppliers should follow suit.