Job overview
This Buyer position will sit within our Clinical category team.
Partner Trusts have established the Partners Procurement Service (PPS) in order to improve their combined procurement effectiveness and deliver better value for money.
The participating Partner Trusts are:
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MEH)
Great Ormand Street NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH)
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (RFL)
The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust (WH)
The PPS is jointly and equally owned by all Partner Trusts and is hosted by WH. But staff may be asked to work at any site.
The rationale for the creation of the PPS is to establish a shared service able to improve the quality of a wide range of procurement services, deliver a more cost effective procurement and supply chain solution and enhance the non-pay benefits to each Partner Trust.
Main duties of the job
The role of Buyer encompasses the following:
1.To play an important role in tendering and providing quotations for the purchase of goods and services for the Partner Trusts;
2.To work principally on his/her own initiative in undertaking the complete tender cycle process, but with support for larger tenders, to deliver purchasing benefits and obtaining best value for goods and services procured for the Partner Trusts;
3.To performance manage contracts once they are let in order to maintain a healthy and constructive supplier relationship;
4.To source products and services through a quote or tender process and assisting in the maintenance of the e-procurement system for the contracts to which the post-holder has been given delegated responsibilities;
5.To undertake research and development on clinical products as required;
6.To ensure that contracts operate as designed and lead on investigating and resolving supply related problems on behalf of Partner Trusts; and
7.To undertake any additional tasks allocated by senior management.
Working for our organisation
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Please click here to see a video of what it is like to work in Adult Community Services, Whittington Health:
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Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Communication/Relationship Skills
Forming a strong and enduring relationship with Trust end-users and suppliers to ensure that contracts operate as intended.
To advise end-users of the appropriate procurement channel(s) to be used.
Supporting on managing a category of products and/or services as delegated across all Trusts.
Communicating concisely and in a timely manner in terms of providing advice or updates on requests for information.
Sourcing recurring requirements as part of the PPS work plan.
Liaising with departmental colleagues to resolve problems.
Interrogation, updating and maintaining the integrity of corporate procurement systems.
Liaising and negotiating firmly with suppliers on performance (quality), cost and delivery.
Seeking advice from other procurement organisations and disseminating it appropriately to end users within the Trusts being supported.
Working closely with clinical specialists as part of tender/quote activity.
Assisting in the recording of performance information, including benefit reports as required.
Analytical and Judgmental Skills
To review responses to quotes and tenders and be capable of formulating a recommendation in writing for authorisation to proceed.
To use own judgement whether to answer questions directly, or refer those which require more senior management or specialist intervention.
Planning and Organisational Skills
To plan daily workload in terms of prioritising enquiries and assistance required to meet end user requirements and timelines.
To expedite enquiries and requests for assistance to meet customer agreed timescales.
Work within unpredictable patterns.
To attend meetings as requested by the Trusts and/or PPS management.
To be capable of understanding and following procurement procedures and practices.
Information Resources
Regular creation of on-going reports/part-reports on enquiries/information requests.
To provide the appropriate level of feedback to customers regarding their enquiries.
Policy
To ensure that Trust-wide policies relating to PPS are disseminated.
Human Resources
Work with unpredictable patterns.
To engage in attaining qualifications and continued professional development courses relevant to this position.
Financial
The ability to develop financial evaluation criteria as part of a tender and to undertake the evaluation of tender and quotation responses and report firm recommendations to senior managers and Trust stake-holders.
The placement of purchase orders on behalf of the Trusts once authorised by the respective budget holder.
The post-holder has no financial delegated powers for the placement of purchase orders without being prior authorised.
The enforcement and reinforcement of the procurement system to ensure that compliance with SFIs is being maintained across all Trusts.
To maintain the product databases used, including pricing and supplier information, where delegated to do so and for those sub-categories allocated.
Freedom To Act
To work mainly unsupervised, prioritising workload to the best advantage of PPS and using judgement and logic to decide priorities for action.
To escalate issues as required to line management.
Emotional Effort
To notify suppliers of the results of quotation and tender processes; the majority of which shall be unsuccessful.
To routinely impart news to Trust staff in relation to their goods and service expectations.
Mental Effort
Frequently necessary for periods of concentration and attention to detail during regular on-going discussions with customers.
Has to respond to frequent interruptions at any time on different topics from Trust staff, suppliers and own team, without detriment to quality of work.
Is frequently required to deliver answers to urgent requests for information.
Working conditions
Is principally office based with the flexibility to complete some days at home.
Physical conditions
Considerable periods of time sitting in a restricted position working on the PC.
Required to attend limited number of meetings at varying locations.
General
Leading and assisting in the preparation of tender and quotations in accordance with each Trust’s Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions.
To undertake other purchasing and supplies duties commensurate with the grade as directed by line management.
To comply with the Host Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy and treat staff, patients, colleagues and potential employees with dignity and respect at all times.
To take personal responsibility for promoting a safe environment and safe patient care by identifying areas of risk and following the Incident, Serious Incidents and Near Misses reporting policy and procedure.
To comply with the Host Trust policies for personal and patient safety and for prevention of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI); this includes a requirement for rigorous and consistent compliance with Trust policies for hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment and safe
disposal of sharps.
In accordance with the Host Trust's responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to undertake work and alternative duties as reasonably directed at variable locations in the event of and for the duration of a significant internal incident, major incident or pandemic.
To be aware of and adhere to all Host Trust policies and procedures, the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Data Protection Act.
To maintain confidentiality at all times.
Other
These guidelines are provided to assist in the performance of the contract but are not a condition of the contract. The job description is not intended to be exhaustive and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances and after consultation with the post-holder.
All staff will be regularly assessed on their knowledge, skills and behaviour, and application of all aspects of the job description, in line with the Host Trust’s Personal Development Review (PDR) process.
Staff will also be expected to abide by the relevant code of professional practice relating to their discipline.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Educated and attained a pass in 5 GCE (A-C)), including mathematics and English at this standard.
Experience
Essential criteria
2. Knowledge of acute hospital sector buying and local buying procedures.
Desirable criteria
3. Educated to degree level or equivalent experience
Skills
Essential criteria
4. Capable of undertaking analytical tasks and manipulation of spreadsheets (assessed prior to employment
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS
To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:
5. Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
6. Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
7. Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
8. Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
9. Participate in required training and supervision.
10. Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct
Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.