Focus on F4E’s Business Intelligence Group

F4E’s first objective is to provide Europe’s contribution to the ITER international fusion energy project. F4E’s Business Intelligence (BI) Group works in order to achieve this objective by supporting the Contracts & Procurement Department in the preparation of procurement activities.

A team of three people, the BI Group manages some of the procurement-related information coming “in and out” as well as defining and enforcing F4E industrial policy – a framework of principles and tools which covers the whole procurement process and which permeates the procurement process in order to meet F4E delivery obligations – in order to match the EU industrial capacities with F4E needs. It is up to the BI Group to ensure relevant supplier market conditions for F4E calls and develop the relevant procurement tools.

The input of the BI Group is mostly focused on giving support in the pre-procurement phase, by coordinating actions with companies and enhancing their awareness of F4E rules and procurement process, identifying markets where competition is low, mapping the manufacturing processes and skills in the EU, promoting competition by informing companies on ways to participate – alone or in consortia – to F4E calls.

The BI Group handles relations with industries through ILOs (Industrial Liaison Officers) from 17 EU Member States and Switzerland. The ILOs are important information multipliers as they work on raising awareness and spreading information to potential contractors about forthcoming F4E and ITER calls, and assisting potential contractors in their understanding of the requirements of F4E within the framework of F4E calls. The BI Group maintains contacts with industry through national ITER industries forum, bilateral meetings and chambers of commerce, and shares information on best practices and industrial collaboration with the ITER Organization and the other ITER Domestic Agencies.

After having established the F4E Industry Portal, a one-stop shop for anyone who wants to find F4E operational calls for tender online, the BI Group now plans to enhance the portal by including a supplier assessment module. Supplier assessment will entail the evaluation of a F4E supplier’s technical, quality and logistics performance, together with their respect of contractual conditions after the execution of an F4E contract. This evaluation will form the mapping of suppliers linked to F4E, so that F4E will have a total overview of current and potential suppliers.