Joseph George
From placing orders almost six months in advance to using tools to streamline operations, procurement teams of GCC schools are resorting to diverse strategies to tackle supply chain constraints resulting from long lead times and customs delays
With a growing number of schools in the GCC, procurement managers of international schools, especially those offering UK and US curriculums are using diverse strategies to ensure timely and adequate supplies. There are reports of supply chain constraints faced by schools in the recent years.
According to ISC Research, globally the number of international schools have risen by 54.6% in the past decade, and the GCC itself has seen about four dozen new international schools in 2023-24.
The research and consulting firm, which specifically caters to the education sector, notes that sourcing and procurement of resources can be a problem when schools don’t plan in advance and in times of shortage of funds.
Obstacles lie in the protracted lead times required for goods transportation and customs clearance. “As far as we are aware, from our school visits the constraints are simply long lead times and customs delays in various GCC countries,” explains Nalini Cook, Head of Global Research, ISC Research.
