The Centre recently hosted a professional development webinar on good practices in managing public affairs suppliers and agencies. The webinar, led by Centre Director Wayne Burns, benefitted also from insights by two guest speakers: Lizzy Geremia, Head of Internal Communications at BUPA, and Brett Zarb, Group Media Manager at the GPT Group.

The speakers highlighted that attention to the development of long term relationships with suppliers is critical to ensuring consistent success, however this was often overlooked in practice. The evolution of more cohesive relationships, up to the level of partnerships, is seen as a key contributor to positive outcomes.

While focus on building relationships is of increasing importance, failure to maintain control of these relationships can lead to unwarranted outcomes.

It is important that the internal practitioner remains the driver of the project and maintains ownership of the relationship. Control ought to rest with the practitioner as she is in possession of the information required to steer the project.

Keeping suppliers well informed of developments ensures that their needs are also being met. A speaker noted that ‘if (suppliers) are inside the tent they should have a good sense of what is going on, there should be an ongoing conversation’.

Also, practitioners should aim to clarify the essence of the corporate brand and corporate culture to suppliers. This should remain evident throughout the project to prevent divergence from expectations and core strategy.

Knowing who is providing support to a project is vital. To avoid surprises, it is crucial to clarify at the outset who is working on the project, particularly the amount of time devoted by the suppliers’ senior personnel.

Finally, measuring and tracking the performance of suppliers can assist in securing long-term outcomes and quality of service.