I was brought to Salford when I was looking for a job around the Manchester area. Eventually I found a part-time role on the reception of Technology House - CPC's former place of residence. After working on reception for almost a year, it became necessary for me to find a role that better suited my eagerness for knowledge, and in October 2015 I began working at CPC’s Helpdesk.

Since beginning my studies at university, I learned to work within education as I gained a strong affinity for my fellow students. I felt that working on the CPC Helpdesk has allowed me to provide assistance to a member of staff within an institution, and by proxy that was also allowing me to help students.

Through my dedication to learning as much as I could about the company and its stakeholders, I was able to begin a new role as Junior Contracting Officer in March 2018. This position allows me access to a CIPS membership and training program, and means that I am able to make a real difference not just within the company, but also to the spending practices of CPC’s member base.

Through my CIPS exams I will learn how to run tender processes for CPC frameworks in an effective, professional and compliant manner. CPC have given me a framework whereby I can gain a career in an occupation that is highly sought after, and the grounds for learning are extensive. Alongside this I have the ongoing assistance and support of my committed colleagues which I find invaluable.

I joined CPC in November 2014. I am a Regional Procurement Advisor for the South East, East Midlands, East Anglia and London. I Provide onsite advice and guidance to CPC members on what is available to them through their membership of CPC, how to use our framework agreements and general procurement guidance.

My career in procurement began in a way by accident when I joined Tenet Education Services as Office Manager, initially providing office support to the procurement consultants (before this I spent 10 years working for an investment bank!). However, I found the work interesting and through a mixture of internal and external training I soon progressed to become one of the team of procurement consultants, specialising in tendering facility management contracts on behalf of schools and colleges and in compliance with the EU Procurement Directives. After 6 years at Tenet Education Services I began working for the Association of Colleges National Procurement Team providing advice and guidance to its members on procurement activity and maintaining its online procurement resource – The Further Education Library of Procurement. During my employment at AoC, I gained MCIPS accreditation completing the CIPS Diploma in Procurement and Supply Chain Management. After a 6-month temporary contract as Procurement Officer at University of Essex I then joined Crescent Purchasing Consortium to fulfil my current role.

I am a detail orientated person who enjoys the intricacies of public sector procurement law. I take pride in providing members with comprehensive advice in a timely manner that I hope is of practical use.

One of the benefits of my role is the face to face interaction with members, getting to understand their individual needs and providing a tailored response to solve the majority of their procurement woes!

I had worked closely with CPC in my role as Procurement Consultant at Tenet Education Services and found CPC to be professional and committed to providing an excellent service to its members, so when the opportunity arose to join the team I knew it was too good to miss!

CPC has enjoyed rapid growth during my time with the company and has been a great place to develop my career. At CPC there is an underlying culture and desire to invest in staff who demonstrate a willingness to excel and to learn.

I joined CPC as an Assistant Buyer in 2008 on a temporary contract, joining the business permanently in December 2009. Over the last ten years there have been many personal development opportunities including the company supporting me through professional training for CIPS qualifications. We instil an ethos of recognising that customer service and collaboration are paramount to what we do. In recognition of my development I have progressed through various roles within the Contracting team taking me through to my current position of Contracting Manager. I am now very fortunate to have my own team of dedicated procurement professionals to manage and support through their own development with the company.

Excellent induction process, well planned and implemented, I was immediately made to feel part of an exceptional team

I started at the company as a Contracts Support Service Officer Apprentice., where I received ongoing training such as customer service, software skills, learning about the structure of the business etc.

CPC provided me with fire training, presentation skills, work shadowing, basics of contract law and webinar software etc. During my apprenticeship I had to balance both my job and my NVQ, so keeping up with my revision as well as my day to day activities at work was challenging but also helped me manage my time. I was able to complete my NVQ 6 months earlier than expected as I had support from my colleagues who have set me different work-related tasks that were related to my studies. This helped contribute towards my qualification as I could use these as evidence.

When I first joined CPC I needed support and guidance for my day to day tasks. E.g. member queries. However, over the past year I was able to apply my knowledge and skills proactively which helped my confidence in dealing with any matters or problems with little to no support. With the amount of skills and experience I have now, I am now looking to take on CIPS qualification and move on to a procurement role within CPC. I have learnt the basics on procurement which includes reviewing tender documentations, speaking with suppliers at meetings and shadowing my colleagues to understand how the process worked and how to effectively create a framework.

What I enjoy working with CPC the most is that they are supportive and are like a small family who support and guide each other. CPC is flexible and they help me develop both professionally as well as personally as I know my colleagues are always there to support when I need any help.