Capability and capacity are long standing challenges of the procurement profession in Wales. The extensive environmental changes we\u2019ve seen over recent years have only exacerbated these challenges.<\/p>\n
While the COVID-19 pandemic raised the profile of procurement as an important strategic lever to support organisational outcomes, it also placed huge challenges on procurement leaders, with recruitment and retention more difficult than ever because of talent shortages across the profession.<\/p>\n
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What does this mean for our Welsh public procurement workforce? <\/strong><\/p>\n Public sector procurement teams across Wales are reporting huge knowledge and talent gaps because of workforce mobility. CIPS salary guide 2022 reported a 20% disparity between private and public sectors at Advanced and Professional levels, so it\u2019s not surprising that public sector professionals are feeling the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.<\/p>\n While vast budgetary pressures exist in the public sector, throwing money at the problem isn\u2019t in the gift of public procurement leaders across Wales and isn\u2019t necessarily the right answer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The changes that lie ahead <\/strong><\/p>\n Leaders are under continuous pressure to re-prioritise delivery and balance organisational priorities with the need to prepare for the continuous stream of changes that lay ahead.<\/p>\n These changes are some of the largest changes public sector procurement will have seen in well over a decade.\u00a0 They include the Procurement Bill and the Social Partnership Procurement (Wales) Bill.<\/p>\n These changes will ultimately support organisations in cutting through the bureaucracy of the existing regulations and create simpler and more flexible processes. The challenge is that\u00a0 without enough people or the right skills, these changes are destined for a slow implementation period and a lengthy wait for the new system to reach its potential.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How do we retain and attract new talent?\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Bridging the capacity gap is a key priority.\u00a0 By developing a pipeline of skills and motivated talent, and providing support to our talented existing professionals, we can help colleagues keep up to date with the tools and skills needed to succeed in the 21st century public sector. To get this right, we need your help.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cyd \u2013\u00a0 the procurement centre of excellence <\/strong><\/p>\n In early 2022, during a discovery exercise into the Procurement Centre of Excellence (PCoE),the procurement community confirmed that creating capability and capacity was a priority area .<\/p>\n Following this discovery exercise, an alpha project was launched to move the project forward.<\/p>\n Four months into the project, these are the three key service areas that we\u2019re taking forward at pace, with the procurement community driving the activity.<\/p>\n They are:<\/p>\n