Improving ICT Procurement in the Welsh Assembly

CMC have been working with the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) to support the Commercial and Contracts Unit (CCU) in optimising their ICT procurement processes and team working.

In an initial phase, a series of interviews was held to identify how effectively the team was working and the nature of the challenges they faced. The report made a number of recommendations and we subsequently worked with the team to improve processes and working practices. This included running a series of workshops to facilitate the team to develop longer term priorities for the business, help them build new commercial skills and improve delegation so that existing skills and knowledge are shared more effectively.

Significant among the many change initiatives affecting the team was the planned implementation of a SAP-based procurement improvement programme.   A CMC consultant, who has a considerable depth of experience of implementing SAP in an operational role, was introduced to the project.  The consultant facilitated a series of team workshops to help identify and develop ways of working in interactions with CCU’s customers that  ensured integration and completeness in end-to-end processes.

The experienced, flexible support provided by CMC has been a catalyst for the CCU team to develop their own improved processes:  “From the outset the consultants have demonstrated real empathy and have offered us genuine added value. We feel we have had a Marks and Spencer experience, rather than an Aldi approach.”