4C Associates recognised by the Queen for Covid-19 work
The efforts of consulting firm 4C Associates to deliver vital PPE equipment across the UK have been recognised by the Queen. As part of the UK’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the firm was included in a book commemorating transformational businesses during the monarch’s 70-year reign.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee saw many different celebrations, from star-studded concerts, to opening a new Tube line, to tea with Paddington Bear. Among the glitz and glamour of the multi-million-pound extravaganza, another celebration also took place.
To mark the historic event, an illustrated coffee-table book was published, commemorating the life and reign of the Queen. The Official Platinum Jubilee Pageant Commemorative Album explores developments in the UK and around the world over the past seven decades, and also showcases a range of aligned organisations, all selected for their transformational contribution across the spheres of culture, society, technology, and business.
Among these hallowed firms is 4C Associates, with around 100 consultants and staff one of Europe’s larger consultancies dedicated to procurement and supply chain transformation.
The London-headquartered consultancy supports its clients with procurement intelligence, cost reductions, optimising their supply chain and logistics, and performance improvement in operations. Due to this expertise in establishing supply chains and cost-effective procurement, 4C Associates played a central role in transforming the UK’s Covid-19 response.
Commenting on the firm’s recognition as part of the Jubilee celebrations, 4C Associates noted via its LinkedIn profile, “The 4C Associates team had a fantastic time celebrating Her Majesty The Queen’s 70 years of service at the launch of The Official Platinum Jubilee Pageant Commemorative Album at Claridges. We are very proud to be recognised for our contribution to the transformation of the UK’s Covid-19 response in this book, which is the only official book published for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.”
The Queen became the longest-serving British monarch in June, when she celebrated her Platinum Jubilee. Her tenure on the throne makes is now one of the longest reigns of any hereditary ruler in the world – and is second only to French King Louis XIV.
‘Once-in-a-lifetime mission’
The UK Government was initially slow to respond to the pandemic – under-sourcing both ventilators for those hit by Covid-19, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the medical professionals treating them. While a vast consortium of firms helped remedy the ventilator shortage, 4C Associates got to work transforming pivotal public sector procurement and supply chain solutions to source PPE for frontline staff.
4C Associates’ team was involved in everything from sizing up buses as potential mobile-testing stations and building rigour in PPE category management, to negotiating critical but cost-effective and sustainable contracts. The team helped establish Covid-19 mass-testing capabilities and PPE supply chains, including gloves, gowns, face masks, eye protection, plastic films and chemicals – though it was often an uphill struggle. What started with a requirement for 500,000 PCR tests, for example, quickly rose to 800,000 within weeks, then to 1.5 million and rapidly to 10 million.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime mission, with no blueprint, and the numbers were phenomenal,” said David Walters, Managing Partner at 4C Associates. “We helped put in place a supply-chain structure that supported 66 million people, delivering more packages a day than Amazon. When we started, around one per cent of PPE was bought from UK suppliers, but we helped transform this figure to 70%. This created upwards of 2,000 new UK jobs and improved supply chain security and resilience.”
Looking ahead, the firm intends to continue growing its proficiency in life sciences in particular. On the back of demand amid the pandemic, 4C Associates launched a dedicated life sciences practice last year – and as pharmaceutical companies look to gain improved control over their cost base, and build in more flexibility into their supply chains, the firm will continue to expand into the sector.
“The future will see us growing our current business in consumer, life sciences and central government and expanding into more industry areas, including aerospace, defence, security, transport and the regulated industry. We are looking forward to playing a pivotal role in the national post-Covid and post-Brexit recovery, in ways that support sustainability, social responsibility and levelling up”, concluded Walters.
