Resorts World Sentosa’s ''Kampung Spirit'' bags in the Win
2022 began with a robust dose of déjà vu with a tsunami of Omicron and Delta variants of the virus hitting hard on our heels. Yet, most of us were inclined towards moving towards a new reality and truly adapting to living with the virus, even if there are some remnants of trepidation.
But remember 2020 where saving lives was of paramount importance and the world was in chaos?
With time of the essence, governments scrambled to procure health supplies, enforce lockdown measures and manage the economy, all while fighting against a (then) relatively unknown COVID-19 virus.
As Singapore and many businesses went into the Circuit Breaker in April 2020, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) rose to the occasion and responded to the government’s call and volunteered to manage two of Singapore’s largest Community Care Facilities(CCF) that housed 60% of Singapore’s COVID patients in a bid to contribute to the community. We’re pleased to announce that RWS was recognized as the Best Community Response Project in the recent CIPS Asia Supply Management Awards 2021.
In this month’s spotlight, we speak with the winning team to find out the challenges they faced to hit the ground running within 2 days, how they streamlined the processes and managed demand and supply to prevent disruption as well as attest to their strong culture of Kampung Spirit.
RWS was appointed by the Singapore Government as the Managing Agent (MA) for Singapore EXPO and the Max Atria Community Care Facility. Having to grapple with the tight timeline of setting up operations during the circuit breaker, what were the challenges faced?
As many industry partners and government stakeholders were involved in the community care facilities’ daily operations, we had to align with all on the protocols, work flows and communications since each had their own work processes and modus operandi for this unprecedented national emergency project.
Globally, there were many uncertainties including how the unprecedented worldwide pandemic would pan out and its impact on the global supply chain and flows of goods. However, we were confident that with our strong track record and vast experience in managing large-scale tourism and hospitality facilities, we would be a good partner to the Singapore Government and other agencies in caring for Covid-19 patients. Whilst grappling with the fluid and dynamic situation nationwide, our procurement team raced against time to support Resorts World Sentosa’s pro-bono contributions at the community care facilities.
What were some innovative approaches and processes RWS took to meet these demands?
Our procurement strived to quickly and efficiently put in place procurement processes to support Resorts World Sentosa’s Managing Agent role at the community care facilities to the fullest.
Our procurement team promptly re-organised and worked in nuclei structure by commodities and markets. This generated agility in gathering best market knowledge, identifying best solutions or options and enabling senior management to make informed decisions promptly.
Our procurement team also quickly identified new areas of partnerships with our vendors and suppliers to minimise their business impact during the temporary suspension of resort operations in Singapore’s circuit breaker period. Such close collaborations also enabled the resort to secure much needed resources and services during the global supply chain disruption. For instance, our suppliers affected by the resort’s temporary suspension were able to pivot by having their workforce re-deployed to provide services at the community care facilities. We also reviewed and established detailed work scope as well as designed contracts that enabled suitable and smaller vendors to provide their services and products during dynamic situations and as part of our business continuity planning.
What kept the RWS going through the tough times?
We believe in giving back to the community we operate in. It is a philosophy ingrained in the way we carry out our business. With this kampung spirit already in our corporate DNA, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) volunteered and were appointed Managing Agent of the community care facilities at Singapore Expo and MAX Atria, as well as at the Big Box warehouse mall, on a pro bono basis, to provide non-medical care to early-onset and in-recovery Covid-19 patients.
By stepping forward to volunteer and run operations at the community care facilities in Singapore, RWS was able to provide team members with the opportunity to be meaningfully engaged and to contribute to the nation’s effort to overcome COVID-19 while resort operations were temporarily suspended.
Leveraging our experience in procuring for large-scale operations, well-established vendor relationships and collaborative teamwork culture, our procurement team moved into action very quickly. Within a short period, we were able to quickly and efficiently put in place procurement processes to support the resort’s role to the fullest.
Can you comment on RWS looking to serve the community as part of its social responsibility?
Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen, and delivering good sustainability performance. We are vigilant and steadfast in our commitment to sustainability - for the sustainable growth and development of the community and environment in which we are a part of. We are honoured to have contributed in Singapore’s national strategy to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Our involvement at the community care facilities epitomised one of RWS’ key sustainability focus areas, achieved through serving and giving back to the broader community, as well as encouraging volunteerism to make a positive impact.
How does winning the award impact the team at RWS?
We are humbled by this recognition of our care displayed towards the community during such unprecedented times. As a truly Singapore organisation, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) stands firmly united with Singapore in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Receiving this accolade is an affirmation to the high benchmark our dedicated and professional procurement team has set to make a difference to the company. This achievement is also possible with the support of our entire RWS family, reflected by their collective tenacity for taking on this remarkable undertaking anchored on our shared belief in giving back to the wider community especially during critical times.
Any new procurement processes and framework RWS will be implementing in the new normal?
The invaluable knowledge and experience we gained from contributing to the community care facilities have also enabled us to plan for the safe and smooth re-opening of Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) when the circuit breaker was lifted in Singapore. We have introduced new procurement initiatives and incorporated them into the destination resort’s day-to-day business processes for more agility and robustness in the new norm. For instance, we have adopted pay-per-use contracts for higher efficiency and strategic cost management.
Our ongoing sustainability journey also remains on track since RWS was first built over a decade ago. We have implemented a paperless and 100% electronic end-to-end Source-to-Pay procurement system to ensure a resilient, responsible and sustainable supply chain system. We will continue to explore eco-friendly procurement practices with our vendors and suppliers to incorporate into our day-to-day business operations for our sustainable growth.
Overall winner:
We are honoured to receive the Overall Winner award by the CIPS Asia Excellence in Procurement Awards 2021, a testimony of our achievements in setting the lead on procurement strategy and best practices. Such a stamp of confidence can only spur us to do even better as well as strengthen our relationships with our vendors and suppliers, and we thank ProcureCon and CIPS for this prestigious recognition. We hope that many others will be similarly inspired to develop innovative and practical solutions for their procurement and supply management.
Strong teamwork, agility and resourcefulness proved helpful for RWS despite numerous hurdles and with that many learning lessons as we’ve learn in this chat. The hope is that the procurement industry comes out stronger and will still be smiling as we put ourselves forward to serve the community in the future.
