Episode 4 of No Ordinary Day in Procurement series

The latest episode of growing CPC Podcast series, No Ordinary Day in Procurement, sees our host Jack Horton putting one of his close colleagues in the hotseat, as he welcomes Louise Ashcroft to the studio to discuss her role and past experience.

Louise is one of our six Regional Procurement Advisors, primarily covering the North West of England, though the scope of her work can take her further afield, as with January’s visit to Schools North East’s Academies Conference in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

She also serves as the RPA for Northern Ireland, expanding CPC’s reach across the Irish Sea, where institutions such as Queen’s University Belfast and CPC Giving Back funding beneficiaries Belfast Metropolitan College are among our registered members.

The fundamental function of an RPA is to provide expert procurement guidance, support and information to our CPC member institutions, either remotely or in person, with the RPA service accessible on a free-of-charge basis (read here for more details).

Having previously worked as a Procurement Officer within the education sector, CIPS and ATT-qualified Louise has been a part of CPC since September 2019, making a difference for establishments in need of a little added knowhow or informed direction.

From stakeholder engagement to Procurement Act policy, Louise can deliver a variety of support to institutions in her regions.

But even an experienced procurement professional might may their match, in the face of ginormous woodwork machines! 🧱

As ever, there's No Ordinary Day in Procurement.

Readers can hear what Louise had to say as part of Episode 4 on Spotify, or watch the discussion on CPC's YouTube platform.

If you've missed any of our earlier episodes of No Ordinary Day in Procurement, you can listen in or watch via the links below:

🎙️Episode 1, featuring Mark Pearson

Listen on Spotify / Watch on YouTube

🎙️Episode 2, featuring Rachel Turner

Listen on Spotify / Watch on YouTube

🎙️Episode 3, featuring Sharia Rahman

Listen on Spotify / Watch on YouTube

Watch out for the next episode of No Ordinary Day in Procurement: The CPC Podcast, due to be released in February 2026.