Procurement and Supply Chain Practitioner
Procurement and Supply Chain Practitioner (L4)
Responsible for purchasing goods and services necessary to help the organisation operate efficiently.
SOC 2020 code
Level 4 RQF
Details of standard
Procurement and Supply Chain Practitioner
Summary
Procurement and Supply Chain Practitioner exists across organisations of all sizes — from small firms to multinationals — in sectors such as government, education, finance, construction, healthcare, retail, and technology.Procurement and supply chain practitioners are responsible for sourcing and purchasing goods and services in compliance with national or international regulations and internal policies. They help ensure smooth and efficient operations by managing contracts, analysing suppliers and markets, processing purchase orders, monitoring budgets, and coordinating with stakeholders.
They are also involved in supplier selection, contract negotiation, and delivery management while ensuring sustainability through practices such as Scope 3 emissions assessment and circular economy principles.These professionals work closely with teams in operations, finance, legal, IT, and marketing, and may represent their organisation in dealings with suppliers and partners. Their duties can include policy development, financial analysis, and strategic sourcing to enhance efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
They may work independently or in teams, providing data-driven insights to support decisions, monitor supplier performance, and propose solutions that improve value and organisational performance.
Typical job titles include
1. Purchasing Assistant
- Supports the procurement process for goods and services, including sourcing suppliers, comparing quotations, processing purchase orders, and tracking deliveries.
2. Category Buyer / Category Specialist
- Responsible for purchasing within a specific group of products or services (a “category”), conducting market analysis, and negotiating to optimize cost and quality.
3. Commercial Analyst
- Analyzes spending data, contracts, and procurement effectiveness to support strategic decision-making, risk management, and improvement of financial performance.
4. Contract Specialist
- Supports the drafting, review, and management of contracts, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and the organization’s internal policies.
5. Performance Monitoring Officer / Vendor Performance Analyst
- Monitors and evaluates the performance of suppliers, ensuring service quality, delivery schedule adherence, and contract compliance.
Employers involved in creating the standard
Amey, AstraZeneca, Atkins, Babcock, Balfour Beatty, BT, Cabinet Office, CGI, Crown Commercial Services, Department for Education, Department of Health & Social Care, Equans, Foodbuy, ISS, Jacobs, KFM, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Lincolnshire County Council, MAG Airports, Meggitt, Microsoft, Mitie, Ministry of Defence, National Grid, NatWest, Quantum 360, Serco, Sodexo, Sopra Steria, Thales, Thwaites, Tilbury Douglas Limited.
Knowledge
K1: Procurement life cycles and how they fit into the organisation’s structure and budgets.
K2: Relevant regulations and legislation such as procurement, data protection, environmental, social and governance, and how they impact on the procurement process.
K3: How to collect and utilise market, supplier, and product intelligence to inform business strategies and optimise the procurement process.
K4: Market and product intelligence and supplier innovation support the development of business cases.
K5: How commercial models are applied to generate the best value for the organisation, and how they influence customer and supplier behaviour.
K6: The principles of achieving efficiencies and continuous improvement.
K7: The importance of collaboration between the Procurement, Finance, and other business functions.
K8: Incorporate business objectives and needs into procurement specifications by utilising tools and techniques to create solutions.
K9: The principles and purpose of commercial contracting.
K10: How contract terms, conditions and obligations affect delivery, supplier performance and outcomes for the organisation.
K11: Ethical and sustainability risks and opportunities related to sourcing decisions.
K12: The use of procurement to drive “social value” and sustainability, such as emissions reduction, use of diverse suppliers (SMEs, Ethnic Minority Business), addressing human rights in the supply chain, and combatting environmental harm.
K13: The documentation and terminology that form part of the commercial contract process such as the contract and its appendices.
K14: The procurement negotiation techniques required to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
K15: The organisation’s commercial strategy and policies, procedures, and governance processes.
K16: Principles and purpose of the organisations contract governance, risk management, and internal controls.
K17: Supplier performance monitoring, management, and reporting techniques which impact on, service, quality, and sustainability objectives.
K18: Category specific knowledge of contracts, market, and legislative requirements to ensure goods or services are procured in a compliant and sustainable way.
K19: How to conduct planning and forecasting which support the business decisions and the delivery of procurement.
K20: Analyse spend data and generate recommendations to feed into business and commercial strategies.
K21: The components, benefits, and constraints of taking a category management approach throughout the procurement life cycle.
K22: The digital and software tools used in procurement and supply chain management, such as “source to contract” platforms, supply chain finance tools, complex sourcing, and auctions, spend analytics, AI, risk tools and guided buying.
K23: The organisation’s contract award process.
K24: The principles of continuous improvement and how to identify and implement opportunities for improvement within the procurement and contract management process.
K25: The use of horizon scanning to identify the current and future needs of the sector and procurement landscape.
K26: Project management tools and techniques.
Skills
S1: Manage relationships with stakeholders.
S2: Interpret business requirements by assessing the demand for the product or service.
S3: Undertake market analysis to establish potential routes to market.
S4: Conduct benchmarking to evaluate costs against industry standards.
S5: Prepare or contribute to the drafting of a sourcing plan which meets business needs, including corporate social responsibility factors.
S6: Use the organisation’s documentation designed for commercial procurement processes for the supply of goods and services.
S7: Notify potential suppliers of proposal requirements.
S8: Use selection and award criteria to source requirements from external suppliers evidencing how supplier bids are evaluated against them.
S9: Analyse the financial implications of decisions and identify cost-saving opportunities.
S10: Liaise and negotiate with suppliers and stakeholders to ensure the timely delivery of purchased goods and services.
S11: Support contract award and briefing of suppliers in line with the organisations processes and governance.
S12: Monitor and manage contract performance to meet time, costs, service, and quality objectives.
S13: Manage contract performance and advise suppliers on any areas for improvement.
S14: Maintain contract documentation such as change control, version control.
S15: Use IT and software to produce spreadsheets and presentation packages to communicate information.
S16: Identify, raise, and facilitate discussions with stakeholders to resolve any issues or risks.
S17: Analyses sustainability challenges and risks at each stage of the product or contract life cycle.
S18: Manage information in accordance with policy and processes.
S19: Continuously review work processes to identify and eliminate inefficiencies and simplify workflow.
S20: Use available systems and tools to identify relevant data.
S21: Interpret, analyse, and evaluate data through questioning to drive actionable intelligence and support decision making.
S22: Use horizon scanning to identify future changes in procurement and contracting.
Behaviours
B1: Role models ethical behaviour and practices.
B2: Seeks learning opportunities and continuous professional development.
B3: Takes responsibility, shows initiative, and is organised.
B4: Considers the “big” picture and the detail together.
B5: Works flexibly and adapts to circumstances.
B6: Works collaboratively with others across the organisation and external stakeholders.