Procurement and supply assistant

This occupation is found in all organisations where goods and/or services need to be sourced and purchased in line with national or international procurement laws, or internal governance processes. This occupation is found in the following sectors;

• public sector such as the NHS, the Emergencies Services, Local Authorities, Central Government and the Education Sector.
• private sector such as Finance, Construction, Energy, Utilities, Mining, Facilities, Automotive, Manufacturing, Engineering, Pharmaceuticals, Fashion, Food, Hotels, Hospitality, Entertainment and IT.
• Third Sector including charities and other not for profit organisations.

The broad purpose of the occupation is the process of procurement or buying low value goods and services. Procurement and supply assistants are vital for the smooth functioning of the procurement and supply department in any organisation. They are often responsible for ensuring data is correctly administered and maintained in accordance with legislation of the organisation’s own procedures. They will use their knowledge of procurement regulations/policies to support the wider procurement team in tasks such as quotation and/or tender response evaluation, supplier database maintenance, purchase order review and conversion, and stakeholder liaison. The individual will also often have purchasing requests and low risk contracts for which they will develop requests, quotes, or obtain prices and delivery. They will provide support in procurement to enable supplier selection, management and supplier closure and undertake a role in the management of supply delivery and quality assurance. Increasingly this occupation requires an awareness of the sustainability impacts of procurement and supply decisions on both upstream supply chain and use of materials, products, or applications over their lifetime. For example, for procurement and supply decisions concerning energy sources need to include the direct and indirect impacts of an occupation’s energy demand and the implementation of measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Procurement and supply decisions about raw material and waste generation will consider the implementation of measures toward retainable resource consumption, whole-life and circular economy thinking.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with their procurement teams as well as colleagues from other internal departments such as operational functions, finance, legal, IT, sales and marketing. This role also includes interaction with external stakeholders such as suppliers. This role may involve off site and supplier visits, however it will be mainly office based.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for:

• Contributing to the sourcing of new suppliers using market research for on-going tenders on behalf of the wider team.
• Challenging the organisational need for the purchase especially where Corporate Social Responsibility or value for money considerations suggest the procurement can be better channelled through existing assets or an existing contract. This may also include ethical, green or sustainable considerations.
• Support and contribution to higher value activities such as construction projects and capital expenditure
• Assisting with the monitoring of the commercial benefits and status of procurement projects, for example, spend and trend analysis, cost-benefit analysis saving profile - forecast and actual; and may utilise that information to support procurement decisions, assist with supplier reviews or in developing reports for other parties, such as the Category Manager or Head of Procurement.
• Supporting a wide range of procurement processes including the conduct of tenders, with the use of e-tendering tools (e.g. managing supplier correspondence).
• Working with management to develop procurement documents (e.g. ITT templates and T&C’s).
• Basic understanding of regulations, internal policies and procedures, to educate the wider business areas (helpdesk support) and adopt commercial best practice.
• Supporting development of consistent procurement processes and procedures.
• Having strong customer focus, commercial acumen and a pro-active approach striving to meet the demands of customers in a timely manner.
• Supporting supplier negotiation and help to ensure value for money deals are obtained.
• Collating relevant management information to report to the wider procurement team and in preparation for internal/external audits.
• Working with internal and external clients to facilitate a wide range of procurement processes.
• Ability to set up, facilitate and administer e-tendering and e-evaluation systems, including management of supplier correspondence.
• Ensuring all procurement systems and databases are managed, maintained and information cleansed for accurate reporting.
• Adhering to corporate operating procedures – (if in public sector governing public procurement, including compliance with the Public Contracts Regulation).
• Being responsive to customer enquiries and support contract and supplier management activity across a range of commercial areas.
• Building excellent working relationships with peers, colleagues, customers, suppliers and other external stakeholders.
• Providing prompt procurement system advice to buyers, across the business, to enable compliance and best practice.
• Providing timely returns and accurate statistical data as required ensuring that Commercial data are recorded.