Guidance

Foundation - Accreditation and development programme (HTML)

Updated 18 April 2024

Background

The need for accredited contract management professionals

The Government demands that the public purse sees value for money and service delivery efficiency from the £50bn annual public sector spend on external contracts. Agreements with suppliers and partners may be well thought through, but no contract manages itself.

To manage these, anyone working on a contract - be they contract managers, support staff, project managers, finance, operations or procurement team members from within central government departments, the wider public sector, and the local government sector, need to be efficient, effective, skilled and knowledgeable. This will ensure that the services delivered through the contract provide value for money and the risks are managed, along with timescales, contract finances and operational performance.

The Foundation level accreditation programme will enable this.

About the programme

The Foundation programme is a baseline training & development course leading to a nationally- recognised, and CPD-endorsed, accreditation. It is suitable for both more experienced contract staff as a basis from which to further their qualifications as well as less experienced staff starting their knowledge journey.

It provides a comprehensive understanding of the principles of contract management - in line with the Contract Management Professional Standards.

It is a professional qualification, with a focus on UK government contracts managed either by central government departments, wider public sector organisations or local authority organisations.

The modules cover the fundamentals of contract management, with individual learning in key areas such as; contract design, mobilisation, delivery, change, managing stakeholders and mitigating risk.

The baseline for progression

Accreditation and skills development for everyone working on government contracts

The Foundation accreditation is suitable for everyone who works on a contract in some large or smaller capacity. It builds and reinforces skills, competencies and knowledge.

Skills are cross-cutting, and the course focuses upon the essential skills, such as; contract management, co-ordination, risk, communication, engagement, mobilisation, planning, and performance management. These can also be applied wider - as skills and knowledge gained from within contract management are relevant to other business areas such as projects, campaigns, events, initiatives or research.

The accreditation structure

There are three levels of accreditation; Foundation, Practitioner and Expert. The Foundation-level accreditation provides both the baseline from which to build experience back in the workplace and, where needed, a platform to progress to the more technical in nature Practitioner accreditation.

1. Learner Enrolled on programme

2. Foundation Training

3. Complete Foundation Assessment

4. Achieve Foundation Accreditation

5. 360 Diagnostic questionnaire will determine the best learning journey

6. Complete Beyond Foundation Training

7. Practitioner Programme

• Expeditated Practitioner and Expert learning route dependent on 360 diagnostic result and discussion

8. Workshop 1-8 - SME led virtual workshops with pre-work to be completed ahead session attendance

9. Workshop 9-16 - SME led virtual workshops with pre-work to be completed ahead of session attendance

10. Practitioner Accreditation

11. Expert Programme (Expert learners do not take the Practitioner assessment)

12. Workshop 17-24 - SME led virtual workshops with pre-work to be completed ahead of session attendance

13. Expert Accreditation

Benefits of the programme

Having fully-trained and accredited contract staff within your organisation working on all aspects of contracts will reinforce to the government, service users, and the wider public domain that contracts are being efficiently managed. Without this, it’s a contract risk. Contract risks are business risks.

Benefits for the organisation

The benefits for an organisation are: principles into practice back in the workplace

• having greater numbers of accredited and skilled contract management professionals
• the course is fully funded centrally - so there is no cost to the learner or their organisation
• the training and accreditation demonstrates a commitment to maintaining professional standards and having fully-trained and accredited personnel working on public contracts
• accreditations and training products within the programme are CPD-endorsed, which helps with wider career development
• the accreditation and course is recognised by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply and WorldCC
• the programme concentrates exclusively on government contracts, so your focus will be UK public sector-specific
• the accreditation is gained through experiential learning so learner can put the learned

Benefits for the learner

The benefits for the learner are:

• the programme is digital, flexible and agile, and can be tailored around workload and personal circumstances
• a comprehensive insight into the fundamentals of managing a government contract
• sessions can be planned and booked in advance
• it enhances both technical knowledge and interpersonal skills
• experiential learning will help to put the principles into practice
• individualised learning - work at your own pace
• the CPD endorsement provides personal development time credits

How benefits are realised

Benefits realisation

Benefits can be realised by:

• setting up a study group with peers
• gaining CPD accreditation for learning
• better knowledge of contract terminology
• overcoming contract ‘fog’ with suppliers
• achieving value for money
• accessing a knowledge ‘bank’

Outcomes

Positive outcomes we’ve seen from our learners include:

• “KPIs were negotiated and adjusted”
• “strengthened and developed the buyer/ supplier relationship and turned 79 red rated sites green”
• “turned a lose-lose into a win-win”

Growth

The learning principle:

• 70% experiential learning (back in the workplace)
• 20% peer group (good practice share, debate, social learning)
• 10% formal learning (instructor-led and individual)

Subjects of the modules

1. Design and ongoing development

The importance of:

• developing sustainable contracts
• records and data
• building relationships
• performance management

2. Procurement and mobilisation

• The essentials of procurement regulations
• Supporting the commercial team
• Planning for the mobilisation of a contract

3. Managing contract delivery

Mobilisation:

• tools and techniques
• optimum performance
• managing disputes
• exit or transition to a new contract

4. Change control

• The change process
• Governance
• Stakeholder management
• Commonly used tools
• The importance of documentation

5. Stakeholder engagement

• Understanding different stakeholders
• Stakeholder mapping
• Interest and influence
• Effective communications and engagement

6. Risk management

• The difference between risks and issues
• Risk management
• Risk categories
• Risk registers
• Business continuity planning

Essentials

The Foundation course has no entry pre-requisite. The course is fully funded and open to everyone working within a contract management environment for part, some, or all of their time - at no cost to them or their organisation.

Learners can self-nominate for the course.

All webinar sessions for this course are digital and carried out online, which means there is no need to travel. A suitable broadband internet connection is needed, along with suitable audio to listen and participate. These are delivered through the Government Commercial College.

• Entry pre-requisite: none
• Length of course: 90 days from the start through to the online assessment
• Duration: each webinar lasts from 30 to 60 minutes
• Hours per week: up to two, but designed to be flexible over the time period
• Accreditation: government-wide accreditation Assessment: a single end assessment undertaken online
• Delivery method: online blended individual learning
• Cost: none to the learner or organisation (the course is fully funded centrally)