CIPS certification
Ofgem achieved CIPS Certification and the Standard of Excellence, i.e. the recognised global accreditation for achieving procurement excellence through an organisation's procurement and supply chain policies, procedures and strategies, in March 2010.
Ofgem were the first UK Regulatory Body to achieve CIPS Certification and it independently benchmarks us against “best in class” and meets ISO 9001:2000 purchasing requirements. We now have peer group recognition from our stakeholders and this Standard will set the foundation stone for further and continuous improvement.
The benefits we are realising include:
- Encourages us to embrace continual improvement and motivates unqualified staff to seek CIPS standard for themselves thus increasing our technical knowledge and professional expertise
- Stimulates us to maintain and improve upon our high quality, high impact purchasing and supply management policies, procedures and processes
- Provides a sound warranty to our stakeholders (DECC, suppliers, auditors, energy sector and ultimately the energy consumers) that we know what we are doing in terms of procurement and are striving for VFM
For suppliers to Ofgem this should provide comfort and reassurance that we maintain high ethical standards and deploy robust, fair and transparent procurement processes.