The Situation
There are over 5 million Catholics in the UK
served by 23 dioceses in England and Wales, and 8
in Scotland. The 3000 parishes, 250 religious
houses and over 2000 schools across the country
collectively purchase millions of pounds worth of
goods and services for their day-to-day
operational needs.
The Issue
Dioceses, parishes, religious houses and schools
approach suppliers with limited buying power or
leverage to get better deals or service. So although
we may be 'one Church', most suppliers do not see us
that way and instead see hundreds of individual
customers.
The Implication
As a result, the Catholic community and its many
organisations, spend more money than necessary, which
could be used to help support our mission in other
ways.
The Need
In order to change this and introduce a new and
more effective way to do business with suppliers, the
Catholic Church needs to be positioned and presented
as 'one market, one customer'.
The Solution
Churchmarketplace has been developed to meet this
need and provide a central purchasing platform where
multiple suppliers offering consistently competitive
pricing, service and quality, can be accessed by the
Catholic community.