I joined Tenet in 2014 as an Assistant Procurement Consultant and to begin with, my procurement knowledge was limited to say the least! I initially joined the ‘One off’ procurement team at Tenet (now On Demand) which at that that time consisted of just Craig and I. After a couple of years learning the ropes, I was then promoted to Procurement Consultant.
Shortly after my promotion I knew I definitely wanted a future career in Procurement so decided to undertake my CIPS examinations. Tenet were fantastic and really supportive throughout my studies. They funded the course costs, paid for additional webinars when needed and also allowed extra days off when I had an exam. 3 years and 15 exams later I became a Chartered Procurement Professional!
I then had the opportunity to expand my knowledge further through undertaking a role within one of our newly acquired managed service contracts at Colchester Institute. I was based on site at the College for 2 days per week for 2 years (whilst still doing 3 days On Demand) and during that time it gave me a great insight into the other side of the business. Aside from running numerous tenders for the College, I conducted a spend analysis of the College sites, provided training, developed a contracts register, mentored a junior procurement professional, provided contract management support and much more.
After 2 years at Colchester Institute, an opportunity arose to come back to the On Demand team full time and it seemed like the perfect fit. Since I joined in 2014 the team has increased substantially in size and we now have 11 members of the team. This led to the requirement for additional management support and after an interview process, I was subsequently promoted to a Senior Procurement Consultant. This has given me a great opportunity to further my career as well as continuing to develop my own procurement knowledge.
As part of this role, I still manage a variety of tender projects for our customers. I manage the entire process from the initial meeting with the client through to developing the specification, conducting site visits, evaluating the submissions and then all the way through to contract award, using a variety of different procurement routes to market. Within this role I also have the opportunity to pass on some of my skills and knowledge to the newer members of the team through reviewing and assisting with their projects, and it’s a part of the job I really enjoy.
Overall, Tenet is a great company and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone. It’s forward thinking, flexible, professional and really cares about and appreciates its employees. Although the majority of the staff are home based, there is a great sense of togetherness and I would feel comfortable contacting anyone across CPL group if I needed to talk through a problem or needed some advice.
I look forward to progressing within the company over the coming years and seeing us continue to grow and develop.