How to do procurement when you are stretched
How can you keep your plates spinning and still maintain business as usual activities while still trying new things? Tod takes you through his ideas on how to get out of the weeds and grow.
Juggling supply chain issues, new Government Procurement Rules and everyday life is hard.
But on top of that, what if you’re the only person in your organisation in charge of procurement? And what if that is on top of several other tasks?
Tod Cooper, Director Procurement for the Department of Corrections has got a range of ideas on how to achieve your procurement career and agency goals if you’re the sole procurement officer at a national agency, the administration person at a school, or completely fresh to the industry and just starting out.
“The first thing to know is you are not alone,” says Tod.
“There are tools, templates, guides, and people across the system who are genuinely happy to help. Most of us in procurement started exactly where you are now, juggling the role alongside 3 others and trying to figure it out on the fly. So do not be afraid to reach out. You’ll be surprised at how many hands go up when you ask.”
Procurement is a profession that covers all aspects of life. Every New Zealander interacts with an item that has been rigorously sourced by procurers every single day from the road surfaces they drive on to the street lights that allow them to walk home.
It touches legal, commercial, finance, risk, health and safety, and sometimes diplomacy, depending on the supplier, said Tod.
“The trick is not to get overwhelmed. Eat the elephant one bite at a time. Break the work into manageable chunks, then prioritise based on risk and urgency.”
To approach the situation in schools, teams where the role of a single procurement officer is split over 5 people, or in procurement units that are understaffed break it into 3 steps:
- Supply chains – focus on your biggest vulnerabilities first.
“Do a simple map. It does not need to be fancy. Identify the handful of products or services that would genuinely hurt your ability to operate if they failed.
“Understand who supplies them, how resilient that supplier is, and what your Plan B looks like. You do not need a 20-page strategy, just clarity on where you are most exposed.” - AoG contracts – use them whenever you reasonably can.
AoG contracts exist to save you time, protect your organisation’s risk position, and give you easy access to suppliers and pricing you could never negotiate alone.
“For overstretched teams, this is gold. If there’s an AoG panel that fits your need, use it. It will save you hours of work later. The same goes for syndicated contracts.” - Working with new suppliers
“Most suppliers, big or small, genuinely want to deliver well. Set clear expectations early, keep communication open and honest, and be upfront about what you do not know. If you are new to procurement, say so. Suppliers appreciate transparency far more than a poker face.”