10 November 2011 | Rebecca Ellinor
David Smith is a career civil servant and the first public sector president for many years.
At work, he is commercial director of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as well as deputy CPO for the UK government. He is a crown representative for seven of its biggest suppliers and in 2009 was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the New Year’s Honours list for public and voluntary service.
He says the current CIPS board reflects the increasing importance of procurement in the public sector and he would like to use his year to continue to boost its profile and share best practice worldwide.
Outside of work, Smith is an FA-qualified football referee, a West Ham United season ticket holder and a member of Essex County Cricket Club. He is also frontman of The Front Covers (the band seen performing at the past three CIPS Supply Management Awards) and – he won’t thank me for mentioning it – one of the early members of English heavy metal group Iron Maiden.
Smith may have now spent more than 25 years in procurement and commercial management, but, like so many others, he didn’t start out in it.
“I fell into procurement accidentally,” he says. “I was at the Home Office in the mid 1980s when government was beginning to recognise procurement as important. I was in HR and a vacancy arose in an emerging procurement unit in government. I was posted into it and realised it was for me.
“There are so many examples where procurement has chosen really senior individuals rather than them choosing it and CIPS CEO David Noble is a great example. He knew early on that procurement and supply management was the career for him.”
Encouraging more talent into the procurement and supply chain profession – whether graduates
or those who have something to offer mid-career –
is the theme for Smith’s tenure.
“Procurement is an inclusive rather than exclusive profession, so we’re not just targeting the brightest graduates (although we want them too). Some of the best people have moved into procurement mid-career and we want to be attractive to them as well.
“If it’s something you want to do and you’re good enough and can make a difference, then there will be opportunities for a rewarding career. This is about securing the future and the positioning of the profession as crucial to good organisational health and for that you need the very best people.
“We need a better way to attract young people. Career’s officers need to know about it. Graduate schemes are great, but we want to move beyond that.”
Together with CIPS, Smith has come up with a series of action points to turn his theme into reality. To target younger people, who may have never heard of the profession, one idea is to run a negotiation challenge – a competitive buying game that will be rolled out to schools and colleges. They will also be approached about the possibility of teaching CIPS level 2 qualifications. Awareness will be raised with a PR campaign and CIPS will use its new recruitment suppliers to build momentum in this area.
To attract those mid-career, the plan is to raise awareness via PR campaigns as well as promotion of the profession to key partners and by again, working with CIPS’ new recruitment suppliers.
In addition, Smith wants every senior buyer to do their bit. “I want to challenge fellows, senior practitioners, the great, the good and those who believe our profession has served them well to help improve a structure to sustain its future. I will ask them to commit a little of their time and expertise, to perhaps give up a day. It should not be hard and the benefits will be significant over time – would they mentor someone, do something, give a little more back? And this doesn’t just apply to the UK. We want to show people worldwide that it’s an attractive profession, it’s important and you can make real changes in business and economies.
“We’re in the spotlight almost as never before. To ensure we’ve got the right people now and in five and 10 years’ time, we need to be more inclusive. We want people of all ages, backgrounds and skills to make this the profession of choice.”
Smith’s department has taken on graduates, it has had people in the latter half of their working life going through CIPS qualifications and has taken on an apprentice in the ‘work experience’ programme.
“We, in the UK, are deeply concerned when
there are high levels of youth unemployment
(18-25 year-olds). The DWP fully supports the
‘work experience’ programme and I have personally involved the procurement function. We already have a young person working with me here, who was unemployed and has come to us via the Job Centre. She will spend six months here in the Commercial Directorate on an apprenticeship-type scheme working towards recognised qualifications [functional skills in English and maths, a technical certificate and a vocational qualification].
“We will also participate in the scheme of four-week placements for people on the unemployed register who won’t necessarily be studying for qualifications. It will help make them much more job ready and will give them a positive experience to include on their CV. Are there apprenticeships my peers can offer to make the profession, not only attractive to those leaving college, graduates and mid-career but those who are currently unemployed? We’re doing it here and I’m asking others to try to
do the same.”
Employment minister Chris Grayling is supportive of the endeavour. “Professional procurement is increasingly important in the public, private and third sectors, and the Cabinet Office is leading work to further reform. I welcome the ambition in David’s presidential theme for the profession to embrace new talent and for its experienced professionals to encourage, mentor and engage with schools, colleges, universities and individuals. I also welcome his request for his professional colleagues to consider opportunities to engage with the work experience programme as we are within the DWP.”
Smith is using his year as the figurehead of the institute to address both youth unemployment and secure the future of the profession – challenging tasks and he needs your help.
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