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Post Designation: Procurement Officer

The Council’s procurement team will play the central role in guiding and advising other departments to achieve those twin objectives of achieving social value and value for money from all its procurement exercises.

Operational work for the Procurement Team is split into three categories, People, Place and Resources. Each category has a Category Lead, one or two Category Managers and one or two Procurement Officers. The Procurement Officer will report to the Category Lead for the team in which they are based, and will support the team as well as provide procurement advice and guidance to individual directorates within the Council to ensure that they deliver effective procurement exercises which seek social value outcomes and value for money within a procurement regulatory environment.

The Procurement Officers will initially be responsible for delivering individual workstreams within a procurement exercise with the breadth of their responsibility and if not already qualified, be seeking qualified status and membership in Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS)

Main Duties:

Support the Category Lead in providing advice and guidance on the procurement regulatory matters and corporate governance relating to procurement processes to ensure the national and local procurement regulations and police are followed.

Contribute to the development of a culture of performance management of contracts to ensure maximum value and social value benefits are achieved from contracts within the define service area.

Assist in the development and promotion best practice in supplier relationship management to minimise potential risk to the Council as a result of supplier failing to deliver a contract.

Contribute to the development of the service area’s procurement strategy, setting targets which contributes to medium terms financial savings and other Council’s policies.

Be a critical friend; promoting a commercial approach to contract award decisions, processes and practices and positively influence key stakeholders in achieving efficiencies, effectiveness and economies of scale from procurement exercises.

In the absence of a Category Lead or Category Manager, attend and contribute to key Service Management team (and where relevant, departmental service management teams) meetings that develop a culture of high professional standards and continuous improvement in delivery of contracts

Where appropriate represent the Council at national, regional and sub- regional forums relating to the Procurement matters including the LGA, London Procurement Network Forum, London Tenders Portal, SOPO etc

Duties and Responsibilities

To work alongside the Category Lead in ensuring the Council’s procurement Strategy, Social Value Policy and Procedures are continuously developed to meet the changes in national and local policy and best practice in the public sector and the requirements of the Council

To work alongside the Category Lead, interpret government procurement regulations and policies to contribute to the development of strategies, policies and practices that help maintain regulatory compliance and ensure the Council satisfies its duty to achieve best value from its procurement exercises.

To contribute to producing decision-making reports, respond to Members enquiries in collaboration with the Head of Procurement, provide procurement comments on decision-making and other relevant reports. They will understand the strategic and service wide services and the consequences of such.

Maintain knowledge of procurement legislation, best practice and latest developments in the procurement profession and assist the Category Lead review and develop practices in the service area to ensure regulatory compliance across all procurement and minimise risk of reputational and financial loss as a result of failure to follow procurement rules.

Work alongside the Category Lead and Category Manager/s to analyse and interpret local, national and international market conditions and trends to determine and advise on, and/or develop the most appropriate procurement model to support the needs of services within their area of responsibility.

To lead and manage the end to end procurement exercises of contracts up to £500,000 within the wider workstream of the Category Team. This could include but is not limited to:

* working with the service to establish the principles of any procurement exercise and so define the type of procurement process which the service will need to follow.

* agreeing and supporting the procurement processes being applied by guiding and advising the Service area to ensure that that the procurements are resourced appropriately to deliver outcomes within agreed timescales. working with the Service to shape and implement any pre and post procurement activities.

* Ensuring that the Council’s centralised contracts register is populated and maintained.

* Maintain and update a supplier portal for the advertising of contracts and receiving the supplier responses.

* Ensure they are highly proficient in the use of Council’s e-procurement system

To work alongside the Category Lead and Category Manager/s in promoting an environment within their areas of responsibility of continual review and ongoing development of all procurement processes to ensure best value for the Council at all times

To work alongside the Category Lead and Category Manager/s in developing practice which promote supplier relationship management of critical and strategic contract of the Council

To contribute to procurement board and project meetings to ensure that they are delivered successfully and achieve the corporate plan and objectives

To work alongside the Category Lead and Category Manager/s to produce and implement procurement plans and roadmaps that will outline the future procurements and has to be delivered to support the Service

Ensure, in conjunction with the Council’s legal function, council contracts are developed to provide clear and robust commercial arrangements and incorporate clear, appropriate and measurable Key Performance Indicators that are relevant to contract delivery and required outcomes.

Own and lead elements of workshops for SMEs and VCSE organisation. Assist the Category Lead and Category Manager/s in delivering any procurement training and/or communicate information to their area of responsibility

Be an advisor to business managers in their areas of responsibility in relation to the development and delivery of procurement policy and procedure. Be a valuable and trusted member and a critical friend to the officers within the defined service area.

Contribute to embedding corporate procurement requirements into service procurement strategies, policies and procedures.

Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with individual procurers and commissioners within their area of responsibility ensuring that services for which they are responsible coordinate all of their individual procurement activities and act as the link to other directorates to ensure that a corporate view is taken on procurement activities.

Report and manage risk and issues within their individual workstreams.

Supervise the Procurement Support Officer in terms of allocation and monitoring of workloads and offer support to ensure that deadlines are achieved, and a seamless service of support and efficiency is provided

Represent the Council at meetings with external contractors, consultants and partners and with other Local Authorities relating to any procurement and contract management matters. Including representing the Council at national, regional and sub-regional forums as appropriate to their area of responsibility. To maintain professional peer networks, enabling benchmarking and bringing best practice to the Council.

Report and record identified irregularities to Corporate Anti-Fraud. Attend court on such cases if required and ensure that external and internal audit queries are responded to correctly and in an appropriate timescale.

Perform all duties in line with the Council’s staff values showing commitment to improving residents’ lives and opportunities, demonstrating respect and fairness, taking ownership, working towards doing things better and working together across the Council.

Carry out duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Council’s Health and Safety Policy and relevant legislation.

Carry out duties and responsibilities with due regard to the provisions of health and safety regulations and legislation, Data Protection/GDPR legislation, the Council’s equal opportunities and customer care policies, and any local agreements.

Undertake any other work appropriate to the level and general nature of the duties of the post other duties commensurate to the grade of the post.

To have the operational responsibilities for a defined area of the Service. This includes the day-to-day matrix management and project management of staff and consultant allocated in a procurement project.

Manage up to one directly reporting member of staff (Apprentice procurement support officer). They will also have responsibility to matrix manage staff and external consultants within a procurement project

Responsible for effective people management, recruitment and selection, training, performance, sickness absence and disciplinary matters.

Must have been working effectively in the PO1 role for a minimum of 12 months, and up to 24 months, depending on completion of the relevant Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) qualification (tbc), and the progression and responsibilities undertaken