Supplier Development

Programme Overview

• Purpose: Strengthen supplier capability, competitiveness, and sustainability.
• Scope: Focus on small, medium and strategic suppliers.
• Duration: Typically 12–24 months, with phased interventions.
• Localisation & inclusive procurement: Priority support for SMMEs, and black-owned, women-owned, or youth-owned businesses.
• Relationship building: Builds sustainable supplier relationships and improves value chain performance.

Target Audience

• Small, medium and strategic suppliers, including SMEs and local or black-owned suppliers.

Programme Objectives

• Improve supplier performance across quality, cost, delivery and compliance.
• Build supplier capacity and competitiveness.
• Support skills, systems and compliance development for SME, local, or black-owned suppliers.
• Strengthen long-term supply chain resilience.
• Support transformation and localisation goals.
• Create sustainable economic impact through growth, jobs and innovation.

Key Components

Component 1: Planning & Design

1. Establish programme goals, scope, budget and KPIs.
2. Identify focus sectors and suppliers.
3. Secure budget and resources.
4. Identify priority supplier categories.

Component 2: Supplier Selection & Assessment

1. Set eligibility criteria (e.g. SMEs, black-owned, local).
2. Conduct baseline assessments covering financial health, operations, compliance and skills.
3. Select suppliers based on skills, systems, financials, compliance, size, potential and strategic fit.
4. Rank suppliers by development potential and strategic fit.

Component 3: Capacity Building & Training Support

1. Training and skills development in business management, leadership, technical and compliance areas.
2. Mentorship and coaching.
3. Operational and process improvement, including efficiency and facilities.
4. Compliance, health & safety, and sustainability standards.

Component 4: Financial & Resource Support

1. SMEs and suppliers source their own access to finance, such as loans, grants, or early payment terms.
2. GBSE investigates non-monetary grants from funders where possible.
3. SMEs source infrastructure support, including equipment, facilities and technology.
4. Mentorship and coaching from larger, anchor organisations.

Component 5: Process & Performance Improvement

1. Joint problem-solving and process optimisation.
2. Innovation collaboration.
3. KPI monitoring across quality, cost, delivery, compliance and ESG.

Component 6: Market Access & Integration

1. Strategise on procurement opportunities and contract linkages.
2. Facilitate certification and compliance for new markets.

Component 7: Monitoring & Evaluation

1. Regular KPI tracking and performance reviews.
2. Adjust interventions where needed.
3. Mid-term and final evaluations.

Component 8: Graduation & Sustainability

1. Recognise and certify developed suppliers.
2. Transition to self-sustaining business relationships.
3. Maintain alumni and peer support networks.