Procurement at a county council covers an enormous amount of ground. In any given week the team might be buying highways maintenance, children’s services placements, IT systems or building works. For someone joining the profession, that breadth is the hardest part to get to grips with.

That is the reason we built the Procurement Academy. It is a six-week programme for people joining our Procurement team and the first cohort completed it earlier this year. Learn everything you need to know about our Procurement Academy in our latest blog:

The Academy gives new entrants a flying start covering the basics of local government, its purpose and how it operates to a working understanding of how procurement supports the organisation to deliver is broader objectives.

Each week was delivered by members of the Procurement team who work in that area day to day. The sessions covered the fundamentals of procurement, the legislation that governs public sector spend, category management, sourcing strategy and contract management.

The sessions deliberately leaned on real examples rather than theory. In the contract management week, the cohort worked through live material such as risk registers, market analysis and RACIs, with time set aside for questions after each topic. In the category management week, learners were given a case study and asked how they would weight price against quality, and the discussion that followed was less about the answer than about the assumptions everyone had made without noticing. Stepping back and asking the question, rather than assuming, is a habit worth forming early.

Learners also finished the programme with a library of ECC and central government guidance and legislation, so the material stays available long after the six weeks are over.

One of the learners, Jordan, said:

“The Procurement Academy provided a hands-on introduction to procurement, the role of the team, and the legislation that underpins our work.

Whilst there’s still much to learn, the academy helped me understand where I fit within the organisation and where to find the information and support I need. It has been a genuinely positive experience and has played an important role in helping me settle into my role.”

Jordan, Academy Learner

The Academy will run again for the next intake. If you are considering a move into procurement, or you are already in the profession and looking for a team that invests in people from the start we would like to hear from you.

Your welcome to the country’s largest local government Procurement team awaits – apply now on our careers site.