What will you need from suppliers?

Start by making a list of of requirements for each event component. Event managers often need these kinds of goods and services from external suppliers:

  • First aid paramedics
  • Accommodation
  • Electrical and lighting (including temporary power supply)
  • Sound systems: Sound equipment, Technicians, Electronic communications (often integrates with sound systems)
  • Photocopier (e.g. for conference papers)
  • Backstage management (costumes, make-up, cuing, prompting)
  • Temporary partitioning for exhibition booths
  • Exhibition set-up
  • Special effects
  • Security
  • Transport vehicles of various kinds
  • Venues
  • Displays
  • Decoration and party supplies
  • Gardening or plant hire
  • Catering: food and drink services, waitstaff
  • Hire specialised furniture and equipment
  • Stage design and staging
  • Audio visuals
  • Stage rigging and scaffolding
  • Comperes and entertainers
  • Speakers, workshop and discussion group leaders

For outdoor events find out exactly what you need in infrastructure and facilities. You might need:

  • Power and water supply
  • Heating or air-conditioning
  • Public toilets
  • Erection of temporary structures (e.g. fences)
  • Emergency services
  • Disabled access
  • Waste management

 

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A procurement plan

For a complex event, you will need to research and write a plan for managing procurement. It sits alongside the budget and the preparation shedule. Procurement in simpler events is much more straightforward.

Your plan should contain:

  1. Procurement objectives and strategies
  2. A list of requirements for each event component.
  3. A list of resources to be obtained with a timeline and budget
  4. Will you need formal proposals, tenders, contracts, or specification statements for suppliers?
  5. Procurement processes
  6. Legal contracts
    1. Who will negotiate and draft them?
    2. Who will check and approve them?
    3. Who will sign them?
  7. Do suppliers need their own insurance? (E.g. stage-builders do.)
  8. Who you liaised with (e.g. financial department)
  9. What particular responsibilities will staff/team members have.
  10. How you will communicate procurement arrangements to stakeholders, and which stakeholders
  11. How you will evaluate procurement processes
  12. How you will select one supplier over another? In a large project, you may need formal selection criteria to ensure fair competition. Government funding will often require it.

Get your supervisor's approval for your plan. Don't start formal discussions with suppliers before you do.

 

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Engaging contractors and suppliers

If you haven't already, find out how to procure what you need. Talk to prospective suppliers and make sure they understand exactly what you need. Bsed on their responses, select your suppliers.

Negotiate specific contract terms and conditions, establish common goals and minimize uncertainty and risk. Agreements should be written, and should clearly specify time, location, exact services, exact costs, and record any holding deposit paid. (The exchange of money makes contracts binding.) But conditions depend largely on what you can negotiate, so discuss with contractors what they offer and what you need from them, e.g.:

  • Price (Can you get trade rates?)
  • Performance standards
  • What safety and security issues do you face?
  • Check for any risks and hazards.
  • Check regulatory compliance, e.g. licensing, special permits, etc.
  • Do you trust them for reliable, good service? What quality and guarantees?
  • Timelines and contingencies
  • Technical specifications for equipment etc.
  • Theme-related requirements
  • Their previous experience

Then get complete quotes, and choose contractors in consultation with stakeholders. Check whether you need legal advice if the contract is complex.

Confirm agreements with contractors in writing to include details and costs of all services. You can now add agreements to your register of agreements. (More.)

 

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Monitor contractors

As you progress, you will need to check that the goods and services from supplers and and contractors is going to plan. It's your job to fix any problems (e.g. delays, mistakes).

  1. Evaluate their goods and services against event requirements and time schedules.
  2. Regularly speak to staff and other stakeholders to check whether contractors are doing okay. (E.g. quality of work, how well it meets requirements, whether they are on schedule, etc.) Check with contractor that it is okay, because glitches might be caused by your organization, not them.
  3. If changes to agreements or shedules are necessary, negotiate and organise them, and get written confirmation.

 

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