C-Res and BHP’s Olympic Dam have set the standard of excellence for working with local businesses and communities after receiving recognition at the SA Premier’s Awards gala evening. C-Res, a cost neutral entity, partners with BHP to deliver the Local Buying Program (LBP) in South Australia.
Both companies celebrated being named winners of the METS Excellence in Working with Communities category at the recent Premier’s Awards Energy and Mining. The 2018 Awards event recognized excellence demonstrated by leading resources and energy sector companies and organisations in the areas of diversity, working with communities and innovation.
The Local Buying Program was established in South Australia in October 2017 to support small local businesses in the eligible areas within the Upper Spencer Gulf and Far North regions in South Australia to supply goods and services to BHP’s Olympic Dam. The Program also proudly partners with Global Maintenance Upper Spencer Gulf to facilitate engagement with local businesses and to identify business growth opportunities.
The LBP recognises that the complexities of bidding for work with BHP can present barriers for small businesses and addresses these challenges by providing a dedicated procurement platform for registered suppliers. C-Res also offer direct support from a locally based Business Engagement Advisor in Roxby Downs and an experienced Program Administration team.
C-Res CEO, Tracey Cuttriss-Smith, is proud of what the LBP has achieved in South Australia in just 14 months of operation. “I am so pleased to have been involved with launching the Program in South Australia last year and now one year later seeing what the Program has achieved for small businesses in local communities like Roxby Downs and the Upper Spencer Gulf. We are equally passionate about promoting the local economy and maximizing opportunities for small local businesses, and we are looking forward to seeing more fantastic outcomes as the Program continues to grow”.
BHP Olympic Dam’s Head of Supply, Nathan Flaman, said the company understood “the importance of thriving local business communities, and we know it can sometimes be hard for smaller companies to engage with larger companies like BHP”.
“After seeing the success of BHP’s Local Buying Program in Queensland, we launched the program in South Australia targeting local businesses in the Upper Spencer Gulf and Roxby Downs regions”.
“So far, we’ve created 277 new work opportunities worth over $2.4 million with an average payment time of under 13 days. This is a positive base to work from and we’re really looking forward to seeing the program expand further in South Australia in the years to come”.
The success of the LBP in SA is a direct result of local suppliers and BHP embracing the mutual benefits the Program offers. Local businesses now have greater visibility of work opportunities offered by BHP, and increased capability profiles to showcase and provide goods and services.
Since inception, the Program has delivered some outstanding results with 80 small local businesses successfully registered as suppliers. 277 work opportunities have contributed over $2.4 million dollars in approved spend to the local business community.
Media Contact:
Tracey Cuttriss-Smith, C-Res CEO (0418 647 443)
Quick Stats for the LBP as of 30 November:
- $2,462,642 approved spend
- 277 work opportunities created
- 80 approved suppliers
- 12.4 average payment days
- 65 BHP staff creating work opportunities.