Representing CIPS members 2019

Turning up at Heathrow Airport for the CIPS Global Congress 2019 brought excitement: procurement and aviation.

Walking into the conference room I realised it was opposite the touchdown point of runway 27R. Hoping to spend the next two days plane spotting, I had to put away my radio transceiver and go and do some procurement stuff.

Don’t eat the pastries – mingle instead

After being warmly welcomed by colleagues from CIPS HQ I introduced myself to others. The pastries were still calling me over, but I remained strong.

It was great to meet other congress members - from Australasia, Africa, Americas, Middle East - and start to get to know those within the Central England region.

CIPS – your professional partner for life

The conference was opened by Congress Chair, Marc Hutchinson who provided an overview of Congress, its remit and the location of branches. After setting up an open ‘car park’ for people to drop off ideas and highlighting the importance of CIPS volunteers Marc introduced Malcom Harrison, CIPS Group CEO.

Malcolm started with a bold statement: “We are a membership body. Members are important”. He then described the CIPS strategy and showcased recent findings and his vision for the future: “CIPS – your professional partner for life”.

Malcom outlined current supply challenges explaining the importance procurement professionals can play in risk mitigation and management. It was great to see a focus on members and listen to what 'all' members need from CIPS. It was also good to hear about (and discuss) the good work CIPS is currently doing with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Construction – lots to do

Duncan Brock gave an overview of the work CIPS is doing in the construction industry and you could see some ears pricking up. Great to hear some of the things being done here:

• setting a global standard
• doing procurement of construction more effectively, and
• cultural changes.

In short, “good procurement can help save lives”. 

How we can represent members

We then moved on to a series of open workshops covering subjects such as:

• CIPS global community
• Regional perspectives
• Volunteers
• Chartered status
• Importance of Continuous Professional Development
• #TOWIE (The Only Way is Ethics)

It was also good to hear from Tim Richardson, Chair of CIPS Global Board of Trustees. Tim highlighted the growth rate of members and the importance of procurement in light of the current economic background. He reiterated that at its core, CIPS is focused on its members and education.

CIPS - "Our door is open"

Throughout the conversations I was involved in I tried to put over the importance of ensuring CIPS is designed for its users – affiliates, students, members, fellows, other. 

The conference ended with a genuine ‘our door is open’ feeling with congress members taking away their own personal thoughts. For me, I am now thinking about:

• Advantages and drawbacks of licensing the profession
• How CIPS can increase voter turnout at the next congress elections
• How to improve the quality of discussions
• The importance of carrying on with #ProcurementHour
• Doing some user research for next years Procurement Unconference (yes you did read it right: "Procurement Unconference").

Members feedback

I hope this is a fair playback to CIPS members, but as always do let me know if you have any comments.