Procurement Officer - Strategic Procurement Services

6 months contract with a Local Authority

Job Summary:

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is transforming its approach to procurement. Like all local authorities the Council is under increasing financial pressure. Everything it does and delivers must ensure best value for money including the external services which it procures. The Council also recognises the impact which these services can have on residents lives and so has implemented a new strategy to establish social value as a core procurement principle to ensure that everyone of its services achieves the best possible outcome for residents across the borough.

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 work streams 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).

Key Duties/Accountabilities (Sample):

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.

Be responsible for leading and managing the tendering and awarding of a portfolio of contracts of up to 510m per annum in line with Councils best value duty.

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 defined service area.

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

Contribute to the development of the service area s procurement strategy setting targets which contribute 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.

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 decisionmaking reports respond to Members enquiries in collaboration with the Head of Procurement provide procurement comments on decisionmaking 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 because 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 endtoend procurement exercises of contracts up to 500000 within the wider work stream 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 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 eprocurement 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 always ensure best value for the Council.

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 must 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 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 work streams.

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 subregional 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 AntiFraud. 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 daytoday 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.