Quality Management – preparing for tenders

by Sarah H.

Of course one thing leads to another – so once we had our Health and Safety policy in place, we tackled what we thought would be a bigger hurdle: How to demonstrate to the world that this company is a quality operation in terms of our services, our management and our ethos – without going for ISO9000.

What pushed us into doing it?

Sheer ambition! We wanted to be able to bid for more work, some in the public sector. Such contracts, as well as those related to the 2012 Olympics, are perceived as difficult to win and we do not disagree.

However, without being fit, we could not even reach the starting block – let alone the winners podium.

Where to start?

What we really wanted was an example or template to follow that we could use as a check list and make into our own policy. With a bit of digging, and we found the Chartered Quality Institute’s Small Business Standard

This gave us the basis for our own Quality Management Statement and the systems that we needed to put in place to live up to it.

So what exactly is a QM system?

It is a bird’s eye view of all aspects of our business management, underpinned by corresponding good practice measures. The broad headings, cover everything from the responsibilities of management, financial processes and HR policies to customer service standards and quality measures for service delivery. In short, we had to think systematically about all the things we do and how we do them. Our Quality Management Statement sets out the standards and practices by which the company operates and can be measured.

More pain or more gain?

Gain! Now we have done the thinking and writing, there is a clear structure in place on which to build and improve; All staff have a clear idea of the company’s working practices, ethos as employers and aspirations; Life is easier for new starters with an induction process; And it means we are already on the starting block when evidence of quality systems is a pre-requisite for bidding for a contract.

But there’s always more!

As we established our QM systems, the need for other policies emerged. Next in line were environmental and equal opportunities policies. Both crop up as elements of our QM systems and will always be requested when bidding for public or 2012 Olympic tenders. But by now, we were on a roll and able to put them in place quite quickly.

4 Jun 2010

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Easy guide to your company Health & Safety policy

by Sarah H.

Everyone hates having to do things because they are told that they have to. If it is government telling you to do it, then that makes it at least ten times worse.

We knew that we had to do something about our (non-existent) Health and Safety policy as we have grown in the last few months to more than 5 employees – and we did not even have the obligatory poster on display so were outside the law. Now, with more than 5 employees, we have to have a written policy in place as well.

Where to start?

We started with the Health and Safety angle as it was the most urgent – and it was actually very easy! The website of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has a step buy step guide and sample documents you can use and make your own.

First the poster. This is so that everyone can see what the bosses’ responsibilities are and, just as importantly, what we are responsible for as individuals and employees. The poster is £7.50 from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE)

Ours up in the kitchen in the hope that people read it while waiting for the kettle to boil!

What about the written policy?

Next we carried out a risk assessment of actual or possible hazards . . . . yes, exactly – common sense! However, it did make us get round to clearing up some shelving that was lying about near the door, putting some stripey hazard tape at the top of the stairs where there is no bannister and making sure leads and wiring were tucked away.

And then we wrote it all down, using the template provided.

The directors have to sign up to the policy and someone needs to be appointed as responsible for making sure the policy is up to date and anything that changes or needs to be changed is done. It is also important that all staff (preferably as part of their induction as new starters) knows about the policy, why it is important, their part in it – and what to do in the event of fire or accident.

How to turn this to your advantage?

If you are thinking of bidding for work in the public sector and want to be in with a chance, you will also need to put in place some other key policies – environmental, quality management and equal opportunities – scary stuff? not really . . .. . . watch this space.