Certification Programmes – Creating Pools Of Professional
Civil Servants
Sheila White
Head of International Development
Setting the Scene
Globally approximately 40% - 60% of national public sector revenue is
spent on public procurement – i.e. the acquisition of goods, works &
services
There is no requirement for public procurement professionals to be
professionally qualified!
In many countries procurement is seen as an administrative / back office
function with no strategic value
There is a lack of understanding of procurement’s role in achieving
political, economic or social objectives
Lack of awareness of public procurement at senior levels in government
Procurement usually falls under public financial management or
administration
Accountants, lawyers are required to have professional qualifications –
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
For the organisation… For the individual…
• Improves professionalism:
o Greater consistency of approach o More stakeholder support
• Improves career prospects:
o Feeds promotions & status o Triggers rewards
• Better outcomes: o Less cost o Less risk
• Increases performance: o Better results for all
o More productivity & easier work • Grows productivity:
o More output for less input o Fewer mistakes & less rework
• Builds confidence:
o Grows self-esteem & fulfillment o Drives empowerment
• Provides competitive advantage: o Offers better quality o Manages change better
• Introduces professional community: o Builds support network
o Helps you learn fast from others • Raises staff morale:
o Greater staff retention
o Easier to attract & recruit staff
• Increases own attractiveness:
o Creates options in other markets o Adds portability to new subjects • Improves consistency:
o An instrument of wider policy o Manages complexity better
• Enhances status:
o Grows recognition
o Builds credibility & reputation • Develops corporate capability:
o Captures corporate memory o Develops capability
• Develops skill base:
What’s Involved in Professional Development?
A structured professional development pathway is required
A training needs analysis (TNA) to identify current knowledge, capability and
competences
Develop short training courses (such as those being delivered & developed by
Basil Fuleihan IoF)
National procurement qualifications – such as a certificate in procurement
compliance
International Qualifications – such as CIPS ladder which covers operational,
Environmental Conditions for Development of
Procurement Professionals
Awareness at the highest levels of government of the strategic contribution & role of
public procurement
Awareness of what happens when procurement goes wrong – poor practice, unethical
practice, poor processes
High level champion to lead the development Recognition of public procurement as a profession
Regulatory framework clearly setting out the role of public procurement & how it
should be conducted
Input from professionals on the regulatory framework to ensure it can be delivered Competency framework identifying all roles in procurement, development of job
families, job descriptions with competence profiles for each role linked to “qualification” requirements for each level
This provides a career pathway for procurement
This in turn leads to civil servants choosing to go into public procurement rather than
Environmental Conditions for Development of
Procurement Professionals (2)
Involvement of procurement professionals at the outset of a business or budget –
not either when it goes wrong or simply to manage the contract
Procurement to have visibility all the way through the supply chain – to enable the
management of risk (supplier, resources, goods etc) – end to end delivery/management
This requires engagement with all stakeholders such as other Ministries,
departments, end users
Working with anti-corruption commissions and audit functions to ensure
Challenges & Opportunities in MENA
Region
Some political instability has caused
some disruption in the region
Rebuilding countries require solid
infrastructure development
This has caused problems in
procurement & supply chain
management – availability of goods & services, lack of finance, disruption to infrastructure
High levels of public debt – need to
provide services to citizens but in most cost effective way
Barriers to change – wanting to
maintain the status quo (issues of ethics)
For professional procurement to provide solutions as part of a reformation package To develop not just physical but administrative
mechanisms to enable trade with other countries
For people who understand how procurement can contribute to economic development – develop local supply markets, support gender equality
To convince the donor community to release funds for development projects
Regional harmonisation to reduce barriers to change and trade
Challenges & Opportunities in MENA Region
High demand for procurement professionals – in UAE we have seen a race for the
procurement talent offering increased remuneration to attract the best
Libya need qualified practitioners to support the rebuilding of the country
Lack of financial resources – need to get more for your money
Scarce professional resource
All of the above represent numerous challenges but therein lies the great
opportunity for the profession
Potential for procurement professionals to demonstrate their value through
effective procurement solutions
Wide recognition globally that procurement holds the key to more effective
government through the provision of services to the citizens and as a route to economic growth and recovery
For example in the UK the Coalition government stated that procurement would
We live in a volatile and ever changing world
The requirements & demands of the public don’t
really change but they are more aware
The public are demanding to see better use of taxes
& other government revenues
