Baringa has served at the forefront of the UK ’ s COVID-19 response since the outset . Teams led by Sarah Ashley , Government Partner , and John Calder , Partner and Practice Lead for Supply Chain and Procurement , have been instrumental in the past 18 months .

As a commercial partner to NHS Test and Trace , Sarah Ashley , worked early on with Jacqui Rock , CCO , NHS Test and Trace , “ building the pipeline , working with different suppliers , and putting in place the commercial agreements that have allowed Test and Trace to deliver ”. That involved providing commercial assurance for over £ 1bn in spend , engaging with 150 + suppliers , negotiating rates , working with business owners to challenge requirements , and executing 300 + contracts , Ashley explains . “ This has resulted in multimillion pound savings for NHS Test and Trace .”

It is a high-pressure , high-stakes environment , and one in which Baringa ’ s most senior teams drew upon all their experience to deliver the required outcome . “ What you don ’ t want is teams of consultants writing decks all day ,” Ashley says . “ Our clients needed experienced people to have conversations with them as peers , to define the risks , the knock-on impacts , and the logical next best step . That ’ s why we ’ ve been successful .”

In the UK ’ s vaccination programme , Baringa was integral in establishing and rapidly scaling a supply chain at a pace . “ Today , more than sixty million vaccinations have been delivered and 75 +% of all adults in the UK have received both vaccinations ,” Calder says . “ The supply chain has been a key contributor to that . It has stood up to all the challenges thrown at it , delivered 99 % on time , and all with minimal damage or loss of the precious vaccine , which has been a key part of the mandate .”

As the efforts to combat COVID-19 evolves , so too will Baringa ’ s involvement . “ It ’ s really important for us to hand over and not do these roles forever ,” says Ashley , who has placed great emphasis on building resilient processes and frameworks . “ Handing back to the whole health ecosystem is vital ,” adds Calder . “ We ’ re building a legacy , and making sure that when the consulting engagements end , we ’ ve transitioned to an up-skilled client team to run this going forward .”