Refurbished home office workstations for rent
What do you do when your office workers all end up at home because of coronavirus measures? PwC knows what to do – give them home office workstations. But sustainable and circular workstations.
Question and solution
In March 2020, PwC’s offices were empty and the first lockdown was a reality. At a time when everything was new and people were taking time to adjust, PwC wanted to move forward. PwC thus put out a call for tenders for home office workstations for its employees. The sustainable and circular organisational strategy gave the tender a green tinge – PwC was looking for the market to supply refurbished workstations.
Market parties responded positively to the call and Alvero Kantoormeubelverhuur won the tender with a pay-per-use model. PwC now rents the refurbished furniture for as long as it is in use. When an employee leaves employment, the lease is terminated and the furniture can be reused.
This assignment is a fantastic example of use rather than ownership. Pay-per-use increases the likelihood of reuse, making it a much more sustainable choice. A nice little extra: in view of the many transport movements involved, PwC awarded the tender partly on the basis of smart transport routes and emission-free transport.
Looking for more inspiration for circular commissioning?
Read this article:
Circular commissioning: a circular way of working throughout your organisation
Impact of the project
- Number of refurbished workstations: approx. 3300
- Cost per workstation: less than half when compared to new furniture
Want more examples of circular revenue models?
See also:
Circular revenue models as a driver for the circular economy.
What made this project a success?
These three factors contributed to the success of this project:
- Test draft RFP in advance
The draft RFP (Request for Proposals) was tested with market parties before the call was actually put out. This ensured an RFP that matched both PwC’s need and the capabilities of the market. - Request a different revenue model
By assuming renting rather than buying, you can use stock more flexibly. This dovetails well with the design of home offices, which are often temporary in nature. - Split costs
PwC split the costs for use, service and transport (on entry and leaving employment). This helped to create a simpler more manageable cost model.
Tips for a similar project
- Do a market scan.
Engage with market parties to discover what’s possible. Try to look beyond the ‘usual suspects’: it could be the smaller or newer parties that surprise you! PwC worked with online ‘speed dates’ of half an hour each, extracting a considerable amount of information in a short period time. The knowledge is in the market, so make use of it!
- Discuss risks early on.
Market parties determine the price largely on the basis of risk. In a pay-per-use model, for example, a major risk is that there are suddenly far fewer users. Taking on some of the risk yourself often helps to lower the cost – for example, PwC pays its own transport costs when items are collected from an employee who leaves.
- Give employees choice.
Employees appreciate having choice. Employees at PwC could choose the size and colour of their desks themselves, for example. An added benefit is that people who are happy with the things they have tend to look after them better. That in turn results in a longer service life or added durability!
- Arrange the ordering process through the supplier.
Setting up an ordering process is the expertise of suppliers. It will take a lot of time if you plan to do it yourself.
Want to know more about this project?
Interview: Rob Klinker and Jeroen Ensie talk about procuring refurbished home office furniture at PwC.
Want to make a start yourself?
Identify your next step with our step-by-step plan for circular procurement.
