Page 80 - Security Today, April 2022

Tips for Overcoming the
Supply Chain Crisis
By Ron Fijalkowski
“Supply chain” is now a common household term. For educators and school adminis- trators, ongoing sup- ply chain disruptions continue to create chal- lenges in their nutrition programs, course materials and equipment, and the learning
environment itself.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit,
district leaders and higher ed administrators were forced to scramble and rapidly adapt operations to ensure the safety of students and staff. Many realized they didn’t have access to the personal protective equipment (PPE) and facility maintenance supplies they needed, because it was the first time school systems had ever needed to procure such large quanti- ties of these materials. Education leaders were tasked with identifying reliable suppliers who could deliver high-demand supplies.
The pandemic exposed the faults of con- ventional wisdom regarding supply chains: that it’s most efficient and effective to have a single supplier or source for materials. Espe- cially when demand is high, it’s best to have access to a large and diverse pool of suppliers and manufacturers. This strategy not only helps with ensuring access to supplies but also helps get them at the lowest possible cost.
Our ability to pivot to remote/hybrid work- ing and learning environments served us well. We learned that we can do this in the future, if and when it happens again. But as schools shifted back to in-person learning, we also learned of the growing importance of main- taining the built environment and the impact of indoor air quality, lighting, and our overall facilities on educational outcomes.
What We Learned About the Supply Chain and its Impact on Educational Facilities One of the lessons from this pandemic and resulting supply chain crisis is that the parts supply chain is highly fragmented and com- pletely disconnected from the education facili- ties management strategy. This is not too differ- ent from the industrial space. Maintenance organizations will prioritize training, reliability, and technology while almost completely ignor- ing the parts supply chain, even though it is clear that their maintenance supplies and spare-
parts supply chain is mission-critical and essen- tial to their ability to deliver on their mission.
The supply chain isn’t typically considered in risk management plans for K–12 or higher ed institutions because, historically, it hasn’t supported or enabled schools’ overall facility maintenance strategies. The procedural administrative nature of educational work- flows has led to sourcing and procurement infrastructures that aren’t designed for resil- iency or agility. With limited in-house pro- curement expertise and no data on historical purchases, inventory or the work orders associated with them, school districts and higher ed institutions have been completely reliant on a legacy supply base that is now crippled by the current supply chain crisis.
What We Can Do Going Forward
The unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in the supply chain but also provided opportunities to strength- en it. We’ve realized that many K–12 school districts and higher ed institutions have out- dated models for supply chain management and procurement, and they lack the techno- logical platforms and processes that other industries have put into place. There’s an opportunity for district leaders to learn from what we’ve experienced and modernize pro- curement operations.
While it’s clear that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact the supply chain well into 2023, there are steps
that school leaders can take to mitigate their risk and drive improvement.
Designate your materials/parts supply chain as mission-critical and part of your risk management plans. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many institutions to rethink their pro- curement processes. District leaders have faced an especially daunting challenge: to uphold changing guidelines, plan for numer- ous contingencies, and manage budgets. To ensure schools have the right equipment to operate safely, districts must break down silos and provide additional visibility into the pro- curement process. Instead of budgeting for point solutions (e.g., this is a solution to the ventilation problem, this is a solution to the mask problem), districts must view this as an end-to-end, interconnected supply chain.
By framing the supply chain as essential and defining what success looks like for your district, you’ll be able to assign responsibili- ty—either insourced within your institution, outsourced to a third-party, or a hybrid approach. To avoid creating (or exacerbating) internal silos, districts must have a person who is responsible for overseeing the entire supply chain process from start to finish. This is quickly becoming an essential role. Holding someone accountable for measurable results and outcomes helps drive performance. If everyone is responsible, then nobody is.
Analyze your data. A common challenge institutions experience is a lack of visibility into the current stock of items, suppliers’
Crisis Management
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