The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, the global professional body for supply chain management has launched the new Construction Procurement Competence Tool after the development of a national suite of procurement competence standards following the Grenfell enquiry.

In response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s Building a Safer Future report, it was recognised that poor procurement practices can lead to decisions that compromise all aspects of building and life safety, and across the sector there was a desire to improve the competence of people involved in procurement activities so that better decisions are taken at all levels of the construction supply chain.

The free tool allows users to benchmark themselves and other individuals against the recommended competency framework to understand the level of competency or additional training and skills required to meet these more rigorous standards. Users select their job role, such as building safety manager, principle contractor, or procurement leader followed by job competencies set against RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) stages 0-7 with the required level indicated against each stage. The stages cover definition, capabilities and knowledge which are matched to levels in the CIPS global framework highlighting skills and capabilities required in various job roles. The user then receives a summary of skills and competencies and where there are gaps for improvement. The tool is designed for use by individual contractors and construction professionals, companies and project managers.

CIPS chaired Working Group 11, one of the 13 groups appointed as part of the Competency Steering Group (CSG) following the Hackitt report. The CSG was tasked with the development of a national suite of procurement competence standards required not just amongst builders but associated professions such as architects and surveyors when working on higher risk buildings. Organisations can map what procurement competency levels are required at each stage of a build, identifying key roles and levels of understanding to support enhanced safety aims. Whole teams can go through the process of assessment.

Duncan Brock CIPS Group Director and chair of the procurement working group, said,

“The free tool is a result of a collaborative project to help support the construction sector to combat its common challenges and reach a balanced approach as the pressures of price, margin and safety remain. We hope it will give the sector more confidence and knowledge about procurement and build a better future for residents of higher risk buildings.

“The Grenfell tragedy will stick in our minds for many years to come and CIPS is proud to have been part of the work to improve standards to increase competence and ultimately ensure the safety of citizens in their homes.”

More information about the tool.