CIPS Global Standard for Procurement & Supply gets the thumbs up.

CIPS have firmly positioned themselves in the world of 'Procurement' as opposed to 'Purchasing' with the release of the Global Standard for Procurement & Supply.

Some may argue that it is a bit revisionist to describe this as "the first of its kind" -  I could cite other antecedents, even endorsed by CIPS. Yet, setting that aside, this is a useful resource and credit is due to those who have created, what appears to be a very thorough piece of work.

Sadly though it does little to support the claim that commissioning is synonumous with procurement. Regular readers will know I disagree with that argument anyway. But how do public sector procurers, with social care being a critical spend item relate to the Standard?

I was also surprised, given the rise in Vendor Management Offices in the private sector, that the associated roles, and even the term Vendor Management, weren't included or specifically named within the framework - I think CIPS missed an opportunity there. Yes, I recognise the similarities with Contract Managers but aren't Vendor Relationship Managers slightly different?

Setting those issues aside, one of the great virtues of the Standard is that it can be viewed as objective. So if you first gain acceptance of the Standard, then you can have a more reasoned depersonalised discussion on matching the standards.

I recently had to complete an evaluation of some staff and their competencies, and then develop role descriptions for new posts - the Standard would have helped a lot and I recognise that I will draw on this in the future.  I can also see its role in completion of Training Needs Analysis.

On balance, the Standard gets a 'thumbs up' from me and a thanks to all those involved in its development.