Business Continuity Planning is a process used to plan for emergencies and incidents that affect normal business. For us in Procurement that can mean both the Procurement service and function, but more importantly the wider supply chain.
Business Continuity Management (BCM) is the process of preparing ourselves and our services to face disruptions, whatever their source and whatever aspect of the organisation they may affect. It is not only a matter of writing plans, but also;
- Anticipating problems
- Preparation to deal with them
- Preventing or reducing the risk of incidents
- Response plans
- Recovery plans - how we get back to normal
For health boards this means a bit more as there is a statutory requirement under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) that category 1 responders, such as the NHS, are required to have Business Continuity Plans and processes in place to ensure public welfare is safeguarded when organisational difficulties are encountered.
As part of our Supplier Relationship Management Programme we will monitor Business Continuity Planning, this is to ensure that our suppliers have a plan in place, but also that it is tested and refreshed appropriately
The Civil Contingencies Act also requires that Category 1 responders regularly exercise their Business Continuity plans. The Procurement Department carry out an annual test on their plan.
