Harriet Davies worked with Bramble for 2 years and left following a move to Yorkshire in Spring 2019.
This interview took place when Harriet had been with Bramble for 6 months in November 2018.
On joining Bramble Harriet quickly her position at Bramble was very different to her recent, more corporate-style roles at Computer Sciences Corporation and NHS Digital.
In her words; “It is really nice to have direct access to your MD rather than have to go through lots of processes just to be heard.”
“The most useful business tip that I was lucky enough to pick up early on in my career was that absolute clarity is essential for good contracts and documentation. When everyone involved knows exactly what, how and when they are expected to deliver, and what the payment terms are, things go so much more smoothly. That's what happens here at Bramble.”
“I started work in the legal sector almost 20 years ago and worked as a solicitor specialising in commercial law, but changed direction about five years ago and moved into commercial management, which suits me much better. I really enjoy being more hands-on at Bramble. Instead of being a lawyer who merely gives advice, I'm embedded into a strong team and it's my job to help to pull everything together. I make sure our contracts and documentation make sense and work as they should, and my legal background means I understand the significance of the way things are structured.”
“What matters to the team at Bramble, and to me, is the development of good, open, long term relationships with our partners and customers, the thing that motivates and directs everything we do. It's vital to explain the commercial reasoning behind what we're asking our partners and customers to sign, and to answer their questions in the right level of detail. I make sure they recognise their commitments and ensure that contracts and tender documents are fair and unprejudiced from everyone's perspective. I also help identify risk right at the beginning of a contract, making sure all the relevant issues have been considered.”
“At Bramble we're completely transparent in our process. We don’t want anyone to sign contracts they don't fully understand. Our role is to create workable contracts so both parties are completely clear about their commitments and know what is expected of them right from the start. I see my job as collaborative, but having worked as a litigator for five years previously, I am quite happy to challenge unfair terms or flawed procurement processes in order to achieve a fair result. It's more about delivering great quality service than a cheap, quick deal.”
“I think the Bramble model is unique in that we really do have our partners' and customers' best interests at heart. The Crown Commercial Frameworks have built in safeguards for all parties and if necessary I can assist in protecting interests by working in partnership to make use of these. The thing I love most about working here is that everyone in the multi-disciplinary team is smart in their own field. They work together really well with an emphasis on getting things done in the best possible way. The whole team is extremely approachable and if partners or customers have any queries or concerns, they know they can raise them with one of us and get useful, relevant answers.”
“Like me, a lot of the people at Bramble started off doing other things. Because of this they have a good, deep, broad understanding of the business landscape and how it works. I learned early on in my career that working with knowledgeable people with an open door policy means you enjoy access to huge amounts of experience, industrial expertise and technical knowledge, and at Bramble all these varied skills are put to great use.”