Hello PPMA friends

Earlier this year we’re delighted that Crown Commercial Service became a PPMA platinum sponsor. Our guest blogger this week is Vicky Howarth, Head of Commercial Agreements at CCS and she explains the reasons behind the partnership and the benefits for our members:

Why as a public sector HR professional you should know how CCS can help you

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is pleased to be supporting the PPMA as a platinum sponsor in 2019 but, having spent time talking to members at the annual conference recently, I know many of you are probably wondering why on earth we have chosen to get involved with the PPMA. After all, what has procurement got to do with HR?

In this guest blog I wanted to tell you a bit more about CCS and explain why it’s important to understand how we can help you.

Let’s start with a brief introduction to CCS

CCS is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office and the biggest public procurement organisation in the UK. We help public and third sector organisations save money when buying common goods and services across a whole range of areas from technology and energy, to facilities management and workforce solutions.

We do this by combining the collective purchasing power of over 17,000 customers with our procurement expertise, which means we can help you get the best commercial deals for your organisation and the taxpayer.

Here are some recent examples of how that works in practice:

  • Our Public Sector Resourcing team helped the Home Office save over £1.2 million on their contingent workforce
  • Our health workforce team helped 3 NHS trusts combine their locum doctor requirements and save £9 million a year
  • Our financial services team helped Sunderland City Council save £200,000 a year on insurance services

We also help influence government policy, so if topical issues such as modern slavery and social value are high on your agenda, you will be interested know that how we can help you address them through procurement.

How CCS can help you

So put simply, the reason I want to spread the word about CCS with PPMA members is this – buying things for your organisation isn’t just the preserve of your procurement department.

Do you recruit staff? Do you run an apprenticeship programme? Do you provide your employees with training? Do you offer your employees occupational health services or benefits schemes? Do you have occasion to work with external experts on projects? Do you want to take steps to tackle modern slavery and social value?

If you answered yes to any of these questions please take a closer look at what CCS has to offer you, as we can support you in getting the best commercial deal in all these areas and more…

Want to know more?

I hope this has given you a better idea of why we are partnering with the PPMA. You can visit our website to explore our people related solutions and download our brochure to find out more.

If you would be interested in attending a webinar to learn more please let me know as we’re planning some sessions and I am keen to gauge your interest. Simply fill in this online form stating ‘PPMA webinar’ in the comments box, along with any further details what you’d like to hear about.

You can also call us on 0345 410 2222 or email [email protected] if you have any questions.

And if you got this far, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you have enjoyed it.

Vicky Howarth, Head of Commercial Agreements, CCS