CCS is continuing to boost commercial capability across local government by providing further investment in the contract management pioneer programme (CMPP).
In partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Government Commercial Function (GCF), we've allocated a further £2 million to the programme, which supports the Government's agenda of investing in capability by ensuring that contracting authorities are able to effectively manage the key stages of commercial delivery.
Since it was launched in November 2021, approximately 400 learners from 52 councils who are required to manage contracts as part of their duties have commenced training on the programme. We will support will enable a further 200 colleagues to receive training over the coming year.
The CMPP is funded by CCS, the UK's largest public procurement organisation and managed in collaboration with Local Partnerships (LLP) and the LGA. Training is delivered through the Cabinet Office and the GCF.
David Bemrose, Crown Commercial Service's Head of Account Strategy for Local Government says:
We are delighted to continue our collaborative work with LLP, the Cabinet Office and the LGA to invest in and build commercial capability across the sector. We look forward to continuing the expansion of this programme in the coming years to further help councils build and retain skills and capability to achieve better outcomes.
Emily Chomicz, Corporate Procurement Manager, Procurement & Contracts | Directorate of Resources at Reading Borough Council says:
The CMPP has been an excellent CPD opportunity for Reading Borough Council as part of our evolution of the procurement and contract management activity across all categories of spend. The different levels in the programme have allowed us to support different grades of officers to develop their own knowledge and understanding of the importance and practice of good contract management, helping us to provide better value from our contracts and improve governance council wide.
Developing commercial capability
Boosting the commercial capability of the public sector is at the heart of the Government's National Procurement Policy Statement.
The statement requires all contracting authorities to consider whether they have the right policies and processes in place to manage the key stages of commercial delivery it sets out, where relevant to their procurement portfolio.
The 50+ councils with learners currently on the programme have benefitted from training that helps inform and drive organisational change around contract management. Identifying good practice, sharing evidence-led best practice, and embedding stronger behaviours for local authorities that manage contracts worth billions of pounds every year.
The programme
The aim of this programme is to enhance skills and capabilities across the
sector through:
- offering funded training opportunities for commercial colleagues on the practitioner-level accreditation course
- inviting each council to take part in a Learners Network and an SRO Network to build a community of practice for both learners and senior managers
- a commitment to applying the principles learned and knowledge of good practice gained by the local authorities engaged in the programme back in the workplace, so as to make demonstrable improvements across the sector
- evaluating the critical success factors of, and improvements made through, participation in the programme
You can find more resources about our work to support local government on our website. To speak to a member of our expert team, please call us on 0345 410 2222.