To assist you in your procurement planning we have created this series of action points:
Make procurement a priority. Governors and senior managers need to actively engage and push it up the institution’s agenda
Identify a procurement champion
Appoint a procurement liaison officer. Ensure they have support from senior management and gain the appropriate training and skills
Establish a procurement board comprising the procurement champion and the owners of significant budgets
Audit and review existing procurement processes and procedures
Conduct a spend analysis, using an external specialist if necessary, and transform data into management information
Identify the key risks to which your institution is exposed
Establish your institution’s procurement vision and key objectives
Create a procurement strategy that will achieve the vision and objectives which best suit your institution. Set targets for improving procurement efficiencies
Report progress at procurement board meetings
Set up a procurement network
Establish your institution’s position on key issues around procurement and create policies to support them. These should be signed off by the procurement board or equivalent decision-making structure
Ensure all staff with authority to procure supplies and services are aware of your institution’s procedures and processes, and that they comply with legal requirements
Set up and maintain a procurement page/section on your institution’s intranet
Examine supplier relationships and ensure your institution’s terms and conditions of contract have been adopted
Explore any other procurement weaknesses
Templates
CPC has produced several templates covering this element of the procurement lifecycle which you can find in the Plan section of the Procurement Toolkit. These are provided at no cost to our members and can be downloaded and adapted for your institution’s use.
Further reading
The Cabinet Office has produced a range of guidance notes covering the ‘plan’ phase of the procurement lifecycle. This is aimed at those working in a procurement function within the wider public sector and you may find some additional useful information as you begin the process of planning procurement activity.
School / MAT members - the information on this page aligns with the following ISBL Professional Standards: 3.1 to 3.16