Who developed the SPM
It was developed by APUC and a multi-disciplinary group involving six Procurement Officers from colleges and universities. A number of consultees also had the opportunity to input in specialist areas including CSR, internal audit, Audit Scotland, ePS, finance, and best practice. Monthly progress updates were issued to the Procurement Network, Scotland’s Colleges, Universities Scotland, Scotland’s College Finance Network, Scottish Universities Finance Directors’ Group & The Sustainable Development in the Curriculum Steering Group.
Working Group Members
| Name |
Title |
Institution |
Representing |
|
Brian Bradley
|
Purchasing Officer
|
James Watt College
|
colleges
|
|
Colin Brodie
|
Procurement Manager
|
Aberdeen College
|
colleges
|
|
Stephen Connor
|
Procurement Development Assistant
|
APUC
|
CoE
|
|
Billy Hislop
|
Procurement Training & Development Manager
|
University of Edinburgh
|
universities
|
|
Helen Foster (Chair)
|
Procurement Development Specialist
|
APUC
|
CoE
|
|
Brian McDonagh
|
Procurement Manager
|
Forth Valley College
|
colleges
|
|
Shaun McAllister
|
Head of Procurement
|
University of Strathclyde
|
universities
|
|
Louise Mitchell
|
Procurement Manager
|
Heriot-Watt University
|
universities
|
Working Group Members' Comments about the Sector Manual
Brian Bradley, Purchasing Officer, James Watt College
“Most of our procurement exercises will be low value. This guide will be invaluable in helping those with procurement responsibility step through the necessary processes to ensure best value. Given that procurement is something they don't spend a lot of time on then it will go some way to providing them with an understanding of what they should be doing.”
Colin Brodie, Procurement Manager, Aberdeen College
I became involved in this group as I felt there was a need for grassroots information on procurement, especially for those institutions that had not appointed a Procurement Professional. The challenges we all face are all the more daunting if you do not understand why they are occuring and what you are expected to do to deal with them. The guidelines and templates produced will assist us in procuring to best practice and to guide us correctly through the maze of rules and regulations out there. It will be a document we can utilise to ensure we are all following a coherent and co-ordinated strategy towards our procurement as a sector and one that will evolve with us as new developments change the face of Public Sector Procurement in the coming years.
Billy Hislop, Procurement Training & Development Manager, University of Edinburgh
“I am the Procurement Development and Training Manager for the University of Edinburgh. This is a relatively new role but one which is vitally important if we are to ensure procurement in the university is carried out to the high professional standards necessary to ensure VFM, compliance with legislation, etc. Like Heriot-Watt University, we will use the manual to train and continuously develop staff that work in central and devolved procurement positions.
Conducting procurement under the EU / public sector rules is very bureaucratic and sometimes bewildering. Interpreting rules and applying common and consistent policies and procedures is not easy to achieve. The procurement manual and subsequent training and guidance will help all those involved in procurement.”
Shaun McAllister, Head of Purchasing, University of Strathclyde
“In the minefield that is public sector procurement, particularly in terms of legislation and bureaucracy, it is vital that unambiguous and easy to follow guidance is available, tailored for the experienced procurement professionals at one end of the spectrum to the inexperienced buyer at the other end. I am confident that the sector procurement manual will help to provide clarity around the complexities and myths of procurement in addition to promoting the exchange of best procurement practice throughout the HE/FE sector.
Brian McDonagh, Procurement Manager, Forth Valley College
“I was appointed the first procurement manager at Forth Valley College just under two years ago. This was mainly due to the McClelland Report recommendations for public sector institutions needing to improve their procurement business processes. Forth Valley College had no updated procurement procedures in place and I was fortunate to arrive just as APUC were talking about collaborative procurement and establishing good procurement practice within the education sector.
The creation of the sector procurement manual will provide procurement policy and best practice guidance, legal framework details, corporate and social responsibilities and will be implemented in an open and transparent way at my institution.”
Louise Mitchell, Procurement Manager, Heriot-Watt University
“I became involved with the team as having spent 9 years in Private Sector Procurement I moved to the Public Sector. I found it difficult to find all the procurement process information I was looking for in one place. This manual along with relevant training / guidance / coaching will be a one stop shop for those new into the Sector, a training guide for those who wish to progress their career within procurement as well as a reference guide for more experienced members of staff.
The manual will be useful as a training tool for the Heriot-Watt Procurement Services team to train staff responsible for procurement in Schools and Support Services within the University.”