Procurement Officer

An established Procurement Consultancy in Hampshire is looking for a Procurement Officer to support the MD in managing key tenders for schools across the UK. A small yet thriving consultancy; this organisation was set up by someone who saw a gap in the market to provide procurement support to a sector that was in demand.

This company is a procurement consultancy which offers support to schools. Your role is special in that you will be working alongside the Procurement Manager and the MD in supporting the tendering process for the schools.

Categories aren’t exclusive; you could be tendering a wide variety of contracts, including catering, cleaning, professional services or ICT-managed services. Your support will help the schools achieve the best deals on their necessary services so that they can reinvest their savings back into supporting the children. This is a great opportunity for a hardworking and meticulous individual looking to develop further experience in a procurement-based role.

Key responsibilities:

• Produce professional, high quality and OJEU compliant Memorandum of Information (MoI), Selection
• Questionnaire (SQ) and Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents for high-value tenders
• Assist with producing Invitation to Quote (ITQ) and Request for Proposal (RFP) documentation for lower value
• Tenders
• Create high-standard, detailed but easy to understand post-project Procurement Audit Reports for clients (based on existing templates)
• Liaise with customers and suppliers as required
• Coordinate bid diaries/timelines to ensure tender deadlines are met
• Create letters, reports and spreadsheets as required
• Follow up supplier references in a professional manner (where required)
• Use and manage In-Tend e-procurement software
• Consistently review all tender documentation to improve usability from both an internal and external perspective
• Maintain information held within the Infusionsoft CRM database
• Ensure up-to-date knowledge in all aspects of OJEU public sector procurement regulations
• Supporting site visits and presentation days at the schools

Experience required:

• Experience in a procurement role (desirable, but not essential)
• Knowledge of OJEU public-sector procurement processes (desirable, but not essential)
• Proven expertise in the production of a wide range of procurement documents (desirable, but not essential )
• Experience of report writing and presenting (essential)
• Use of In-Tend (or similar) e-procurement software (desirable, but not essential)
• Experience in the education sector (desirable, but not essential

Skills required:

• Ability to communicate and work effectively and professionally with our team, clients, suppliers and other stakeholders
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Experience in assessing large quantities of written information and data
• A high degree of accuracy and exceptional attention to detail, along with the ability to work on own initiative
• Good mathematical and analytical skills
• Ability to learn quickly and work with new processes and systems
• Proofreading, recognition of tone of voice and consistency across given works
• High standard of written and spoken English
• Flexible approach in a demanding environment
• A proactive approach to work and the ability to interact with the team
• Excellent personal organisational planning and management skills along with the ability to handle multiple projects at different stages of development simultaneously
• Overall this is a demanding role and requires a strong character who can liaise at all levels and is not afraid to ask for support or information when it is required

In applications for the Procurement Officer role we will be looking for:

• Minimum of 1 year of experience in procurement
• Intermediate level expertise in MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel
• Degree or equivalent academic qualification (desirable, but not essential)
• Open, honest, confident and enthusiastic with a desire to learn – someone who aspires to become an expert!
• Innovative, creative and passionate
• Proactive – looking to find the solution rather than waiting to be told
• Wanting to do the right thing, even when it’s difficult
• Hardworking and willing to get stuck into all types of tasks
• A full clean driving licence is essential

Benefits of the Procurement Officer role include:

• Competitive salary
• Off-site training courses
• Generous holiday allowance
• Financial support for CIPS qualifications
• Pension scheme (if applicable)