About us
What's procurement?
In a nutshell, it's buying goods, services and works from suppliers. And when you consider that the public sector spends a whopping £220 billion each year, you get an idea of the important role our procurement professionals have to play. To put this figure in context, a top oil company spends about £30bn and a major mobile phone company about £10bn. What's more, the range and complexity of what's being procured is greater than you'll see in any other arena.
As pressure on the Government to get best value for money increases, so does the profile of the GPS. That's why we look for people with the very best commercial skills and potential and whose raw ability will further enhance the importance of the profession.
The GPS
The Government Procurement Service (GPS) is the part of OGC that represents procurement professionals across Government. The GPS has designed and developed a number of products and services to help Government procurement professionals. One of the key aims of the GPS is to attract new talent into Government procurement and this is why we have set up the GPGS.
The OGC
The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is an independent office of HM Treasury, established to help Government deliver best value from its spending. The OGC works with central Government departments and other public sector organisations to ensure the achievement of six key goals:
- Delivery of value for money from third party spend;
- Delivery of projects to time, quality and cost, realising benefits;
- Getting the best from the Government's £30bn estate;
- Improving the sustainability of the Government estate and operations, including reducing carbon emissions by 12.5% by 2010-11, through stronger performance management and guidance;
- Helping achieve delivery of further Government policy goals, including innovation, equality, and support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs);
- Driving forward the improvement of central Government capability in procurement, project and programme management, and estates management through the development of people skills, processes and tools.
The GPGS team
While you're on the scheme, you'll have a dedicated contact in the GPS team who will organise all your formal training and networking as well as offering you support and guidance.
"Over the first year our development plan leaves a great deal of time for the on-the-job side of things at the departments, but we also get a lot of time in the off-the-job training organised and funded by the OGC, which is very well laid out," Simon Ambrose, HM Prison Service
