I began my career with Tenet Education Services in December 2018 as a full time Procurement Consultant as a part of Tenet’s On Demand Team based in the South East.  However, I already had a really good knowledge and understanding of both Tenet as a company and its employees through my previous role at Tenet’s sister company Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) where I contract managed the IT frameworks for 2 years.

As a part of Tenet’s On Demand Team, I manage a variety of one off tender projects for our customers.  These can be for any requirements the customer may have, for example Building Cleaning Services, to Mechanical & Electrical Maintenance Services, IT tenders etc.  Also, using a variety of different procurement processes to provide the customer with an excellent finished contract at the end of the process, for example, running full OJEU restricted or open tender, further competitions using frameworks etc.  I manage the customer’s tender process for them from start to finish, from collating requirements and building tender documents, to holding site visits and presentations to evaluating supplier responses and issuing formal feedback letters to suppliers.

My role is home based with travel to different customer locations in the local area depending on the project I am working on.  I really enjoy this part of my job and having the opportunity to visit customers face to face to discuss their requirements.  Also, despite being home based, colleagues are always at the end of a phone or email if you have any questions or need some advice! I also really enjoy having the opportunity to work on a variety of tender projects for an array of customer requirements.  I feel this has greatly helped in developing both my procurement knowledge and knowledge of Education sector contracts.

I’m currently studying to achieve my CIPS Qualifications and I am in the final year of my studies which I hope to complete next year.  Tenet have been great and really supportive throughout my studies, helping to fund the course costs which has enabled me to further develop and build on my procurement knowledge and expertise.  Both Tenet and CPC have fully supported me throughout the last two years whilst I have been studying, allowing time out of the business to take exams etc.

I really enjoy my role as Procurement Consultant for Tenet Education Services and the variety and flexibility that working as part of the On Demand Team offers.  I look forward to continuing to develop my knowledge and skills both through CIPS training and through working as a part of the On Demand Team!

I have recently joined Tenet as a Procurement Consultant, a role which supports my work/life balance requirements, working three days per week. I could tell at interview that Tenet would be a great company to join – not only from interaction with the MD and my potential line manager, but also from the warmth of the welcome through the door from those who are now my colleagues both within Tenet and within our sister organisation Crescent Purchasing Consortium. I had no doubts in accepting the offer when it came through and the support that I received from HR colleagues in the weeks before I actually started only reinforced the feeling that I had made the right decision!

As a Procurement Consultant, I support a FE College and a HE college – both located in the Greater Manchester area, in a role that really plays to my strengths. The role builds on all of the elements of procurement skills that I have developed both as a Procurement Officer and as a Category Manager in previous roles, blending these traits with business improvement techniques and customer service skills that I have honed during my 30+ years in private practice and within the public sector.

Secondments into client organisations are nothing new to me and working in the colleges that I support is a wonderful way to raise my profile within their organisations and make myself available to them, which is key to the success of providing consultancy support to our client base. Like many Tenet colleagues, I am the go-to Tenet person within the colleges that I support and I sit at the heart of their procurement decision making functions. This does not leave me isolated from Tenet, and I am in regular touch with my manager. I am also part of a wide network of colleagues who share ideas and support each other from locations across the UK. This, coupled with the central resources we have at our fingertips makes me feel both supported and empowered at the same time.

A typical day will see me reviewing organisational spend, advising budget holders on aspects of procurement technique, managing procurement processes, developing potential for collaboration, feeding back into wider organisational frameworks development and generally reacting to what comes through the door. I am at my desk three days a week, so diary management and communication is key to ensuring that my clients are supported across the entire week. I am not alone in this style of working and many of my colleagues have work patterns that span 2, 3, 4 and 5 days each week. This gives our customers the flexibility they need for their procurement activity support and the mix of days that I and my colleagues work ensures that there is always a Tenet presence when our clients need it.

I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity of joining the Tenet team and look forward to continuing to develop as a chartered procurement and supply specialist in such a friendly, supportive and professional environment.