WSA Procurement Portal for Sport & Leisure set to launch imminently

WSA Procurement Portal for Sport & Leisure set to launch imminently

The Welsh Sports Association (WSA) is delighted to announce the imminent launch of the Procurement Portal for the sport and leisure sector.

The WSA has teamed up with 2buy2, a Cardiff-based procurement specialist and partner of the WSA, offering advice and education regarding strategic procurement to provide savings and supplier protection via a procurement offering tailored to the needs of the sector.

To develop the portal, the WSA worked with strategic partners Community Leisure UK (CLUK), establishing solutions to support the sector as a result of the financial challenges faced since the onset of COVID-19 and, more recently, in relation to the increase in energy & utility costs and the cost-of-living crisis.

The WSA has been keen to highlight the importance of collaboration and economies of scale to offer the sector practical solutions to deal with these mounting challenges, open to both WSA and CLUK members.

Work began on a joint procurement offering back in February 2021 – the initial pilot project was to prove the case for collective procurement.

The results from the five member organisations that participated were compelling and led to the WSA’s collaboration with 2buy2 on delivering a comprehensive procurement service, which aims to deliver the best value outcomes for the sector.

The procurement portal will provide self-service access to a range of approved supplier lists, framework agreements, quotes and pricing from pre-accredited suppliers, while access to these via a RFQ (request for quote) process will be free. There will also be access to a series of best practice procurement guides, templates, and procedures free of charge for WSA and CLUK members.

There are opportunities available through 2buy2’s existing product categories, including electricity, gas, water, chemicals, telecoms, cleaning products, IT support, HR support, solar solutions, broadband and more! Additional demand-led services and products will continue to be added to the portal as and when required.

When live, the WSA encourages all members to feed into the portal to complete the ‘Additional Needs’ section in the navigation. For new products and services where there is collaboration and the opportunity to aggregate data and spend, 2buy2 will source these products and services free of charge!

WSA Commercial Manager Tom Sharp stated:

“We are extremely proud to be able to offer such a comprehensive procurement offering to the sport and leisure sector. The team has been working hard to prove the case for collective procurement for many years, and we are delighted that this vision has now come to fruition.

“We hope to encourage greater collaboration and for members to take advantage of the savings that are available through collective purchasing.”

Meanwhile, CEO of Community Leisure UK, Kirsty Cumming, commented:

“Working in partnership to support our members is at the heart of what we do at Community Leisure UK.

“This sector-specific procurement portal from the WSA is another opportunity for our members to seek out competitive offerings in the face of the cost-of-living crisis.”