For Fabege, the goal was clear: all contracted suppliers should be both sustainability assessed and approved. With Stratsys ESG Due Diligence, the property company has taken the next step towards more systematic supplier follow-up.
As a leading urban developer and one of Sweden’s largest property companies, Fabege develops modern workplaces, homes and urban development projects where thousands of people spend time every day. Behind every property is also an extensive network of contractors, consultants and suppliers. With around 1,600 suppliers and approximately 350 contracted partners, supplier management is an important part of Fabege’s sustainability work.
Growing demands on supplier management
For just over seven years, Dick Larsen has been responsible for procurement at Fabege. During that time, he has been a driving force in supplier follow-up and sustainability assessments, not least by initiating the FIHL collaboration between some of Sweden’s largest property companies. For Dick, this is not a matter of competition, but something the entire industry benefits from.
Fabege already had an established process for supplier assessments. But as the work developed, the need for better follow-up, overview and coordination also grew. One challenge was that follow-up was still largely based on manual Excel summaries.
We saw an opportunity to make the work more targeted.
- For a long time, we used the same questionnaire with 48 questions for our entire supplier base. It worked, but the ability to answer can differ between, for example, a construction contractor and a consultancy firm. That was where we saw an opportunity to make our efforts more targeted, says Dick.
Dick Larsen, Head of Procurement, Fabege
The benefit of one partner
When Fabege began evaluating the next step in its supplier assessment work, the company carried out a structured review of the different options on the market. For Dick, it was important to find a solution that worked in practice and had already proven its value in the property sector.
Fabege had been an early adopter of the previous solution and this time wanted to choose a platform that was well established in the market. Another important factor was the opportunity to bring more parts of the work together with the same partner.
Being able to manage supplier assessments with the same partner was a clear advantage for us.
- We were already using Stratsys for sustainability reporting. Being able to manage supplier assessments with the same partner was a clear advantage for us. It is easier to keep the work connected when everything is brought together, says Dick.
Dick was also drawn to the functionality. Dynamic questionnaires, stronger support for deviation management and AI support for collecting publicly available information were some of the benefits that stood out during the evaluation.
A new generation of supplier assessments
Once the decision had been made, things moved quickly. With Stratsys ESG Due Diligence, Fabege took the next step in its supplier assessment work. One important difference was that the questionnaires could be adapted to their operations. For Dick, it was also about creating better conditions for follow-up.
One important difference was that Stratsys was user-friendly and easy to get started with.
- To succeed with supplier assessments, we need to work more systematically with follow-up and deviation management. Another important difference was that Stratsys was user-friendly and easy to get started with, says Dick.
Dick also saw potential in AI’s ability to reduce manual work related to supplier information. Automating this part of the process could lead to a smarter way of working and make it possible to focus more on the questions that actually require dialogue.
The next chapter in Fabege’s sustainability work
The implementation of Stratsys ESG Due Diligence is part of a long-term investment. For Fabege to reach its goal, supplier assessments need to be more than a questionnaire process. They need to support follow-up, deviation management and continuous improvement.
The goal is clear. All our contracted suppliers are to be sustainability assessed and approved.
- The goal is clear. All our contracted suppliers are to be sustainability assessed and approved. Ultimately, it is about creating a way of working that functions in practice and helps us drive the work forward, says Dick.
The next chapter in Fabege’s sustainability work has already begun.
