Contracting Officer in Warrington

This is a really exciting opportunity to work within our Environmental Goods and Services category of spend. We deliver contracts for research, surveillance monitoring services and equipment and clean up materials. Expert advice and technical support on environmental matters, laboratory equipment and maintenance, including veterinary and disease control services. It is a rewarding category to be involved in as through these contracts you will directly contribute towards environmental improvements.

With fragmented reactive spend across a diverse customer group, there is real opportunity for leveraging spend and bringing services, customers, and suppliers together to deliver more value for Defra. This role will sit in the Land Use and Biodiversity Services team. The team is responsible for category management for the following areas of spend: Expert advice in land use and clear up, biodiversity and ecology expertise, environmental services, land management and environmental advice and audits.

This role is quite unique in that the post holder will provide a mentoring role for our dedicated team of pipeline managers across the category. The role includes end-to-end administration of one of the largest contracts in the category, directly supporting a broad range of Defra customers. The Higher Category Officer roles will report to Senior Category Officer.

The post-holder will be required to award and monitor high value, medium risk contracts in accordance with Defra's commercial policies and procedures. They will be expected to deliver propriety and value for money whilst applying commercial life-cycle principles. The work will involve promoting commercial policies and procedures whilst influencing the final outcomes. It includes the provision of expert advice to the business on commercial issues and governance and operational support to the team.

The post holder will be expected to engage with colleagues across the country, building the Commercial network both internally and through the wider Defra network and Government Bodies.

Responsibilities

• Deliver and support in the delivery of projects, procurements and contract/supplier management across the full commercial life cycle providing functional/specialist input to improve ways of working and business change and efficiency.
• Be responsible for explaining specialist commercial guidance to operational teams to influence compliance with Defra policy/legislation/best practice ways of working and contribute to the delivery of business plans.
• Keep up to date on changing legislation/best practice externally, to inform internal priorities and appropriate alignment.
• Contribute to the development of Defra policy/process at national/local level and monitor and advise on effective implementation in the business, in line with environmental targets.
• Build and sustain effective relationships with operational customers to understand issues and provide effective response/steer for operational needs.
• Train and help others on policies, procedures, practices and techniques equipping them with the knowledge and skills to deliver their work in an effective and efficient manner.
• Support team members to deliver results on time, to required quality standards and cost to fulfil the business plan and achieve/support environmental goals.
• Support the delivery of contracts such that sustainable impacts and opportunities are identified and managed throughout the commercial lifecycle.
• Manage your own resources to meet business needs, including electronic sourcing and contract management applications, to maximise the efficient and effective use of finances and people to ensure that all activities are completed to time, cost and quality targets.
• Support the development of Defra sub-category and category plans and develop your own market category knowledge and expertise.
• End-to-end administration of one of the largest contracts in the category, directly supporting a broad range of Defra customers.
• Mentoring a team of pipeline managers, providing guidance and support to ensure effective delivery.
• Provide day-to-day advice on commercial issues and governance, taking full account of risk, exploiting commercial opportunities and maximising value of money and savings.
• Provide support and the delivery of medium risk procurements utilizing the following core commercial processes:
• The preparation of initial sourcing strategies and contributing towards business plans.
• Supporting and helping to deliver market engagement exercises.
• Preparing pre‑tender and tender documents in conjunction with customers.
• Running tenders in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023, including all requests for information documentation and the management of evaluations.
• Preparing recommendations for tender outcome.
• Preparing contract management documentation in conjunction with stakeholders.
• Use leading practice commercial tools to develop and implement commercial strategies.
• Support the management of more complex contracts including:
• The acceptance/signing of the contract including the resolution of assumptions before signing.
• Leading the engagement/initial transition plan, including the development of exit/service transfer arrangements.
• Engaging and training any customer stakeholders in the contract content, risk assumptions and KPI.
• Preparing initial documentation such as risk register, report requirements, innovation report, and advice to supplier on invoice submission etc.
• Supporting contract meetings and escalated supplier and commercial issues.
• Supporting negotiations for contract change and implementing these in accordance with change governance procedures.
• Support the management and development of key supplier relationships to deliver exceptional performance in cost service and quality.
• Support the establishment and maintenance of excellent relationships within customer organization and wider government with key stakeholders, raising the profile of commercial activity within customer organizations.
• Participate in the production of National/European Commercial standards and guidance to inform the business and improve commercial implementation, promoting commercial principles and applying policy where appropriate.
• Represent the Commercial team at meetings with internal stakeholders and deputise for the Senior Category Officer as required.
• Support colleagues, training them as appropriate to help support them with the knowledge and skills to deliver their work in an effective and efficient manner.
• Use commercial and contract management IT systems and applications appropriately.
• Engage in continuous professional development by keeping up to date on legislation, best practice and developing industry knowledge and commercial understanding within a commercial category and using this knowledge to support development of the Category and Sub‑category plans.

Disability Confident

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.