Intelligent procurement to lift energy sector productivity
People buying lifting equipment for the Middle Easten Oil, Gas and Energy Sector, in common with most sectors and geographic regions, are rarely the people using it. Too often procurement decisions are driven almost entirely by price, while those who specify and use the equipment prioritise quality and safety, writes Amro Hassan, LEEA Regional Manager – Middle East.
This self-regulated model leaves real gaps in visibility and accountability. Contributing factors include quality being largely self-declared, with little independent verification. While procurement teams lack expertise in lifting standards they are under no obligation to seek it out. Harmonised standards cover design and testing but not manufacturing quality control, which can result in a product being fully compliant yet still inferior. Declarations of conformity can be self-certified and therefore, in practice, close to meaningless. Brand recognition is often the only proxy for quality in the absence of a clearer framework.
The bottom line is that buyers often cannot see quality next to price, and suppliers see compliant products misread by the people buying them.
Given that lifting equipment is crucial for continuity of operations and improved productivity, its procurement should not rely on guesswork – asking another question if in doubt is behaviour LEEA actively encourages. Dedicated to supporting its members LEEA also assists end users in the market place. It helps buyers gain intelligent procurement through knowing which questions to ask, and which suppliers can answer them.
The LEEA logo offers operations the assurance of safe and expert practice when it comes to procuring lifting equipment as well as services such as maintenance and inspection. A LEEA member will be recognised globally as ‘competent’ having undergone a rigorous assessment process tailored to the circumstances of different industries – to uphold LEEA’s ‘gold standard’, provide customers with the assurance of excellence and resolve the price and quality gap.
