12 months of CPC and Tenet Services

Almost exactly one year ago, Tenet Services and Crescent Purchasing Ltd merged and are now officially the Crescent Purchasing Group.The merger represents the culmination of a significant amount of work on both sides to bring the two companies closer together over time and mix the very best of both to create the new group. The idea was to create a full spectrum of procurement services that would fulfil the requirements of as many institutions as possible across the Education Sector. It was a significant risk for both parties; each had their established member and client base, each had their own way of doing things and each had their own mission statement. The merger had the potential to disrupt a great deal of good work, even if it was very well intentioned. Instead what happened was both entities ended up complimenting each other wonderfully.

Speaking from the CPC side, it provided a much-needed shot in the arm in terms of momentum and modernism as well as just a breath of fresh air to blow away the cobwebs. We all know that working in the public sector is about being consistent and careful but there was certainly room at CPC to be a bit more dynamic in our approach. Ellie Wilkinson at Tenet kindly provided her thoughts on the last 12 months:

“Since I joined Tenet in September, it’s been fantastic to visit the CPC office in Salford and get to know the dedicated team that work there. They’re always ready to welcome you with a cup of tea, a smile, and of course more work to do. Tenet and CPC have enjoyed several joint training and social events over the past year, which have given us chance to develop our procurement knowledge, raise money for charity, and share some of our best team dance moves! Being part of CPC helps us to work more effectively and to provide an even better service to our customers. Twelve months on, it’s safe to say that we feel more like a team than ever.”

I know that everyone at CPC echoes Ellie’s sentiments, it has certainly been a very productive and entertaining year for us. We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know and work with our new colleagues. We have already started collaborating on some exciting projects, for instance Tenet and CPC will often present together at exhibitions and expos and as a group we're working together to develop new online resources and services.

What truly matters however is the experience Tenet clients and CPC members have when making use of their respective services. We are very proud to say that so far, the response has been positive. From the discussions we’ve held with our members, it appears that the combination of CPC’s in-house support and expertise mixed with Tenet’s ability to visit and assist with procurement activities, is very much appreciated by CPC members and Tenet customers alike. We hope to build on this good start and keep improving the group as best we can.