Identify a member of the senior management team such as the finance director, the director of estates or director of resources to be the institution’s procurement champion. This senior manager needs to commit to taking responsibility for procurement by supporting and driving through new initiatives, as well as working closely with employees involved in the procurement process. They may well represent the institution externally by, for example, attending procurement network meetings.
Appoint a procurement liaison officer
Institutions that do not have a specialist procurement member of staff will need a procurement liaison officer (PLO). This individual needs to be formally appointed to the role and be given the time to support the procurement champion, even if it is only one of their responsibilities. In addition to being interested in procurement and having good influencing skills, the PLO will require the backing and support of the procurement champion and the senior management team. Their duties will include:
Providing support to the champion
Co-ordinating the management of procurement across the institution: collecting and organising information as necessary
Drawing on expert advice from in-house or external specialists
Developing their procurement skills and knowledge through training, NVQ accreditation and CPD
Acting as the link between institution budget holders, purchasers and the funding body to ensure advice and guidance are correctly disseminated and that good ‘deals’ are passed on to the right people
Establish a procurement board
Many institutions have a procurement board, which can be an informal forum. The point is to establish a group of senior people who are committed to improving procurement and play a key role in developing the procurement strategy, policies, procedures and processes
The board should comprise the procurement champion, faculty heads and senior individuals who hold substantial budgets and are responsible for areas of spend such as IT, catering and estate management. Some institutions invite representatives from other organisations with whom they collaborate to board meetings or sub-groups
The decisions made by the board are disseminated throughout the institution via a procurement network which facilitates the free flow of information to aid future decision-making at all levels
Seek external support
There is a range of support available from bodies such as Crescent Purchasing Consortium, Crown Commercial Service and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply
School / MAT members - the information on this page aligns with the following ISBL Professional Standards: 3.5, 3.9, 3.13