It’s also the reason procurement matters more to frontline resilience than it’s often given credit for. Good routes to market, shared frameworks and clear visibility of trusted suppliers are what let emergency services respond quickly when something changes, instead of rebuilding a supply solution under pressure. That was the thread running through this year’s Blue Light Show, held at Olympia, London on 1–2 July, where the Hub took part in two panel discussions and spoke with blue light and NHS colleagues from across the country at stand P80.
Collaboration reduces duplication, not just paperwork
The Collaborative procurement: driving efficiency across blue light agencies panel looked directly at this challenge. Chaired by the Hub’s Rhiannon Sarginson, Assistant Director of Engagement and Marketing Strategy, and featuring the Hub’s Martin Taylor MCIPS alongside Chris Bell (City of London Police), Ruth McDermott MCIPS (BlueLight Commercial) and Stephen Dubery (East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust), the panel explored what happens when blue light organisations procure separately for the same needs: duplicated effort, inconsistent terms and less time spent on frontline priorities. Shared frameworks change that equation, giving multiple organisations a single, compliant route to the same trusted suppliers, so resilience is built in before disruption hits rather than scrambled together after it.
That value showed up directly on the show floor. One supplier already listed on the Hub’s Emergency Medical Consumables and Equipment framework described how being on it had opened doors with new customers and helped them win business, proof that a well-run framework moves faster than solo procurement on both sides: suppliers reach the organisations that need them, and those organisations reach suppliers who are already vetted and ready to deliver.
Resilience starts with the organisations already embedded in a community
The Collaboration in action: community and interagency projects that strengthen resilience panel made the same case from a different angle. The Hub’s Sustainability and Social Value Specialist, Mandy Emery, joined Christian Cooper (NHS Emergency Capabilities Unit), Chief Fire Officer Mark Baxter (Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue) and Mike Vass (Wiltshire Police). Mandy emphasised that traditional procurement processes can unintentionally exclude the voluntary and community organisations best placed to understand local need, and pointed to the Hub’s Social Impact Framework as a way of removing those barriers so that partnerships between the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary sector are easier to build, not just easier to talk about.
Mike Vass, co-founder of a community bleed kit partnership at Wiltshire Police, gave the panel a concrete example of what that kind of resilience looks like in practice: kits placed in public spaces, used in much the same way as a defibrillator, that let a member of the public act within minutes of a serious bleed, before emergency services can arrive. It’s a reminder that resilience isn’t only about the systems and partnerships behind the scenes, but also about making it easier for the right people, wherever they are, to act in the moment that matters.
What this means for emergency services
The conversations at stand P80 reinforced why this matters beyond the panels. Colleagues found themselves explaining not just the procurement routes on offer, but the full range of support behind them, including workforce, estates, digital and corporate services, with several attendees surprised at how much the Hub covers beyond a single framework. For emergency services teams, that breadth is the point: fewer separate relationships to manage, fewer systems to duplicate information across, and a single partner who already understands the compliance and operational pressures of the sector.
Whether that’s a ready-made framework for critical equipment, the Social Impact Framework for community-led partnerships, membership or bespoke consultancy support, the value is the same: less time spent starting from scratch, and more confidence that the right route already exists.
If your team is managing supply risk on critical equipment, wants to explore what the Social Impact Framework could unlock for local partnerships or wants a faster route to trusted suppliers, get in touch and we’ll talk through what’s already available to you: [email protected]
Related content:
Keeping ambulances on the road when it matters most – East of England Collaborative Procurement Hub
Emergency Medical Consumables and Equipment (EMCE) – East of England Collaborative Procurement Hub
Fuel Cards for Emergency Service Vehicles – East of England Collaborative Procurement Hub
Double Crewed Ambulance Base Vehicle mini framework – East of England Collaborative Procurement Hub
Double Crewed Ambulance Conversions mini framework – East of England Collaborative Procurement Hub