Procurement Business Partner

The post holder will work as part of a newly formed and dynamic team responsible for effective procurement and contract management, in accordance with national and local strategies, policies and procedures, for the Trust contract portfolio including Mental Health and Community Services.

 The role supports the Trust in driving transformation as well as securing value for money in planning and service delivery and improvement. The role is designed to build a combination of procurement expertise and technical skills.

As the Trust operates from multiple sites, including rural locations where public transport may be limited, the post holder must be able to travel independently between locations in a timely manner to fulfil the requirements of the role.

The Procurement Service is responsible for a broad range of activities including:

Provide practical support and advice to deliver the procurement workplan for relevant procurement categories.

Liaise directly with relevant stakeholder (internal and external) in delivery of the required workplans, managing and proactively promoting relationships with designated key stakeholders.

Oversee all relevant allocated tenders, quotation processes and competitions to ensure best value for money is delivered in accordance with the Trust SFI's.

Support Contract leads and colleagues in all aspects of the contracting and procurement lifecycle.

Report activity and delivery of work plan to the Senior Contract and Procurement Manager.

Supervise and support Contracting and Procurement staff in delivering high-quality commercial activity in a timely manner and in line with the agreed workplan.

Working flexibly to support the wider contracts and planning team as required.

  Manage and proactively promote relationships with key clinical and non-clinical stakeholders. 

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us.  In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views.  It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement.  However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Delivering the Procurement Workplan:

  Work in partnership with stakeholders to identify opportunities and requirements to produce and deliver the Trust Contracting and Procurement Workplan.

  Provide direct management and support to deliver complex/high value and also low value procurement exercises.

Ø to ensure the production of complete, accurate and relevant procurement documentation for all goods and services.

Ø producing regulatory compliant advertisements, tender and contract documentation.

Ø supporting the development of relevant commercial strategies and appraisals.

Ø managing and supporting at tender adjudication meetings.

Ø attend Trust sites as required to engage at all levels within the organisation.

Provide advice to staff on contractual and commercial matters and specification development, as well as training and guidance for stakeholders and potential bidders.

Work closely with all stakeholders to ensure they produce complete, accurate and relevant specifications, evaluation models and associated documents.

Chair Category Reference Groups monthly meetings for the specific areas of contractual responsibility.

Identify and manage risk throughout the procurement process.

Deliver commercial/contractual advice and guidance to colleagues for all goods and services.

Contributes to the achievement of cost and quality improvements in a challenging environment.

Support the management of purchasing policies and procedures.

Maintain up to date expert knowledge of NHS, Government and EU Purchasing rules for the public sector (PSR and PA23) and ensure Trust compliance.

Work with colleagues to promptly resolve contract disputes when necessary.

Keep the Trust Contract Database (Atamis) is kept up to date for the portfolio of contracts responsible for.

Promote and support the use of e-Procurement tools

Work with suppliers to support improvements in their social, environmental and ethical practices

Ensure the Trust adheres to the requirements of the UK Public Procurement Regulations, National Law and the Trust's Standing Financial Instructions and Scheme of Delegation;

Monitor the Trust's spend on goods, works and services to identify other arrangements that can be developed to improve quality and/or reduce costs;

Monitor and manage procurement-related risk across the Trust

The Trust is required to work in line with the Government's UK Visa and Immigration Rules and Regulations. For more information about sponsorship for certain roles, please visit - https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas  

To support compliance with UK immigration requirements, all applicants who require a visa to work in the UK must disclose their visa history in full. This includes current and previous sponsors, dates of sponsorship, visa category, and any changes of employment.  If you are on a Graduate or Dependant Visa, please disclose the expiry date on your application. Incomplete information may mean we are unable to consider your application