Crescent Purchasing Consortium unveils single brand as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary.

Single brand unveiled as Crescent Purchasing Consortium celebrates 25th Anniversary

We are delighted to announce we will be merging our current brands, CPL Group, Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) and Tenet Education Services (TES) into one united single brand and will be known solely as ‘Crescent Purchasing Consortium.’ The 2nd of April marks the harmonisation of brands only with the physical consolidation of functions and assets taking place on the 1st of August 2024. If you are currently utilising Tenet Education Services, please note you will continue to receive invoices until the 31st of July from Tenet, after that date they will switch to Crescent Purchasing Consortium.

The rebrand coincides with the 25th anniversary of CPC being established and, on this date, not only will we unveil our new brand but will also launch our new harmonised website. The new website will provide our members with a newly streamlined one stop procurement shop for all their day-to-day buying, consultancy, and training needs from one trusted charity.

This is an exciting new era for CPC, but rest assured our core purpose remains the same, to be your ‘Procurement Partner of Choice,’ whilst continuing to ‘Give Back’ to the education sector via our charitable objectives. The harmonisation of our brands will further strengthen our market positioning, building on the existing strengths of our organisations as we continue to evolve an already impressive portfolio of services, whilst eradicating any brand confusion for our customers.

What will change?

The FREE benefits you receive as a CPC member will remain untouched, ensuring your membership remains a high value yet low risk proposition for all your buying needs.

Member benefits include;

• Permanent free membership.
• Access to 92 compliant framework agreements covering a wide range of goods and services with 15 currently approved by the DfE.
• Free access to professional purchasing advice via our fifty strong Regional Procurement Advisory, Contracting and Consultancy team of procurement experts across the UK.
• Access to funded procurement training courses, resources, templates, and guidance via Crescent Learning.
• Downloadable policy documents, which can be used to comply with DfE governance requirements, which is currently under construction to support the new reforms.
• Free attendance at our Procurement Advisory Groups (PAG) and FE Facilities Management Network (FEFMN) Groups held quarterly regionally and nationally, to discuss new ideas share procurement best practice and networking opportunities.
• Access to free PAG presents monthly webinars, featuring a different topic each month hosted by our team of RPA’s and facilitated by varying suppliers across our 1,400 strong CPC supply chain.
• Monthly CPC newsletter which provides you the very latest in procurement news.
• Comprehensive and easy-to-use one stop shop website.
• Access to proven value for money on all arrangements.
• No obligation to use CPC arrangements - although we hope the savings and user friendliness designed for the education sector, our offering will be difficult to resist.
• Dedicated Helpdesk in place to assist you throughout your membership and provide you with continued support as you navigate your procurement journey.
• The only national purchasing consortium dedicated to the entire education sector.
• Transparent, auditable purchasing processes and full compliance with procurement regulations.

In addition to a wide-reaching portfolio of benefits you will now have the added value of having access to a dedicated procurement consultancy team under the brand of CPC, (formerly known as Tenet Education Services). With a team of experts spanning a 28-year track record since being founded, you are in safe hands to support you when you just don’t have the time to fulfil your own procurement obligations.

Our procurement consultancy service provides a specialised offering of expert end to end procurement solutions that can save you time, money, and effort, so whether in need of a swift, one-off tender acquisition or a recurring, long-term procurement plan, our experts are ready to help.

Our provisions formerly delivered by Tenet will continue to be available in its current, paid form, harmonised under the CPC branding, making a smooth transition for Tenet users into the wider CPC community.

Our consultancy support services include;

Managed Procurement Services including:
 

• Spend Analysis and Efficiency Reviews including savings opportunities 
• Contracts Register Development 
• Procurement Mentoring 
• Procurement Policy and Procedure Review 
• Interim Procurement Service 
• Contract Management Services 
• Merger Support 
• Compliant Tendering

On Demand Tendering services including:
 

• Support for all categories of spend
• Cleaning & Catering Tendering 
• Building Cleaning and Catering Consultancy 
• Tender Publication Service

Background

Crescent Purchasing Consortium is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1999 along with our sister brand Tenet Education Services being formed in 1995. The uniting of our brands will provide members and wider stakeholders, with a combined 54 years of procurement expertise at your fingertips, to support you in navigating all your procurement buying needs compliantly whilst generating the best value for money outcomes to make every pound count. Through our community of over 10,000 members, CPC is equipped to inform, assist, and educate on complex procurement solutions, while bringing professionals together to share knowledge and best practice.

CPC takes its name and key identity from the crescent bend of the river Irwell, which flows a stone’s throw from our Salford headquarters. It is a section that shapes and guides the river through an area immersed in education and decades of learning at Salford University where our organisation was originally founded.

One of Greater Manchester’s grand waterways, with its historic gateways to commerce and trade, the Irwell rolls irresistibly onward, with the streams pouring into it only serving to make it stronger. Like the Rivers Irk and Medlock flow into the river Irwell, 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Crescent Purchasing Consortium and will see the merge into one united single brand to combine our strengths and services.

Did you know Crescent Purchasing Consortium is a registered charity?

As a registered charity, Crescent Purchasing Consortium place social value at the heart of everything we do. Owned by the education sector, one of CPC’s greatest assets is its commitment to ‘GIVING BACK’ to only the ‘Education Sector,’ we believe this is what sets us apart from our peers and makes us unique.

Our funding has supported a wide range of educational projects fulfilling our charitable objectives of;

• Enhancing Teaching and Learning
• Improving a learner’s experience of education
• Helping disadvantaged children

Since 2019, CPC’s ‘Giving Back’ has committed £1.56 million of grant funding to schools, academies, colleges and universities, UK wide. It has funded 134 of projects all of which have been requested by educational establishments to assist them in enhancing teaching and learning within their organisation. This has seen a significant impact in a climate of economic decline across the sector.

As a registered charity, CPC works not for shareholders but for stakeholders, improving the quality of learning opportunities available to teachers, lecturers and learners of various ages and backgrounds.

Our Mission, Vision, and Values

Our existing subsidiaries already being part of the same Group, benefit from sharing the same Mission, Vision and Values, whilst fulfilling our charitable objectives to advance education and research in procurement for the education sector.

Our Mission is to provide outstanding procurement services to members and clients.

Our Vision is to be the procurement services partner of choice for the education sector and, through our work, help the sector to enhance teaching and learning.

Our Values, deliver a distinctive culture, underpin our relationships, and defines what makes the Group a unique place to work.

Our shared values are;

• People orientated
• Supportive
• Collaborative
• Professional
• Customer Focused

These shared values have consistently proven to provide our members with first-class services to over 10,000 members.

Summary

As England, Wales, and Northern Ireland’s Procurement Act (2023) finally comes into law, we will see the biggest changes to procurement law in the past 10 years', and 'significant legislative changes', which require more transparent reporting from all public bodies including the education sector. Your access to our team of procurement experts has never been more important, especially in the lead up to the new reforms going live in October 2024. CPC will continue to advance your education and steer our members to regulatory compliance to help you navigate the landscape of legislative changes as they come into force.

Countless institutions will continue to reap the benefits of a CPC membership, as well as connecting institutions to supplier excellence. We will continue to provide educational institutions with a multitude of support solutions, powering your purchasing whilst combining regulatory compliancy and procurement prowess.

In addition, you will continue to benefit from FREE funded training courses and resources via Crescent Learning, and FREE advice and support from our dedicated team of ‘Regional Procurement Advisors’ across the UK.

We hope that you will be as excited as we are about the Group harmonisation and the numerous benefits that all our members will gain from taking these steps. If you have any questions about our rebrand, do not hesitate to contact Rana Holland, Head of Communications and Engagement via [email protected].

Want to find out more about Crescent Purchasing Consortium and how we can assist you in 2024? Visit us online at Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) (thecpc.ac.uk) and join us on our exciting new journey!!

FAQs

Generic member/supplier FAQs

Why are you launching a new brand?

Based on member and supplier feedback our multiple brands offering varying services has been confusing, offering our services under one brand will eliminate any confusion ensuring our services are accessible and barrier free.

When exactly are you launching your new brand?

The 2nd of April marks the harmonisation of brands only with the physical consolidation of functions and assets taking place on the 1st of August 2024.

How will the changes impact the organisation internally?

No will be no changes to our organisation internally other than identifying our full portfolio of services under one single brand.

Will you have any changes in personnel if I need help and support with Procurement?

There will be no changes to personnel for both front facing and back-office functions. All front line employees such as our Contracting Team, Consultancy Team, Regional Procurement Advisors and helpdesk will remain as is.

Does your ownership structure change?

No, the rebranding does not affect our ownership structure, which will remain unchanged.

What will change as a result of the new single brand?

Front facing changes our members will see will be minor. If you are currently utilising Tenet Education Services, you will continue to receive invoices until the 31st July from Tenet, after that date they will switch to Crescent Purchasing Consortium.

Internally all email addresses from employees will change to a CPC account.

For both members and suppliers the main change will be the implementation of one single brand in place of multiple brands.

What will change when I use the CPC website?

You will be met with a new harmonised website that will home to all our portfolio of services under one single brand. We took the opportunity to simplify user navigation across our varying services where you can instantly access our frameworks, paid consultancy service and learning opportunities directly from the home page. You may notice some minor changes to functionality, but your user experience has been our priority throughout the build. If you do have any queries or need any support don’t hesitate to contact the Web Team by email at [email protected]

Whom do I contact with rebrand-specific questions or requests?

You can contact the Communications Team for any enquiries, including if you wish to add a question to this set of FAQs by emailing [email protected].

Member Specific FAQs

Will any of the existing terms and conditions on frameworks change?

All existing terms and conditions will remain unchanged.

Will any framework agreement periods change?

No, agreement periods will remain unaffected.

Will the use of frameworks become chargeable or remain free to use?

All frameworks will remain free to use.

Will I still benefit from the long list of FREE membership benefits?

All member benefits will remain untouched.

What can I expect to gain as a member that I don’t get now?

CPC members will have the added value of having access to our inhouse consultancy team who can support you with one tender projects, evaluations, and a whole host of other paid procurement support services.

I already have a contract with Tenet Education Services for managed procurement support, will this change?

Yes, your contract will be novated to Crescent Purchasing Consortium however your terms, conditions and contract pricing will remain unaffected.

Will your managed services be mandated to use Crescent Purchasing Consortium frameworks?

No, our managed service procurement consultants will always endeavour to use the best route to market for the client.

Will anything change in terms of CPC members publishing further competitions, will we still navigate to the same webpages?

As we have consolidated all our websites into one, there may be some structures changes how you currently navigate to pages you frequently use, similar to how a supermarket changes their shop floor layout. If you struggle with any elements navigating our new website please do not hesitate to contact our Web Team via email at [email protected]

Supplier FAQs

Where can I go to get the most up to date rebrand information as a supplier?

You can access our supplier marketing toolkit, brand guidelines and user guides when logged into the CPC website as a supplier under ‘My Company, Supplier Guidance’. This resource will provide you with all the necessary information and assets needed to market your brand collaboratively with the CPC.

Will the marketing premium increase?

There are no current plans to increase our marketing premium.