James Sprake Mcips Email & Phone Number

Bath, Gb

Swindon, Wiltshire, Gb

Leadership team member with functional responsibility for Procurement, Legal and Fleet. Latterly also Lead Officer accountable for outsourced functions – with a headcount of c.140 across IT, Finance & Payroll, HR & Pensions, Office Estate, Research & Conservation, Contact Centre, Archive & Libraries, Photography and GIS Mapping.I joined English Heritage into a new role with a brief to deliver a business-wide Procurement Transformation, including building an entirely greenfield Strategic Procurement function. Below are some key achievements:- Collaborating with stakeholders to develop a high-performing procurement target operating model, then gaining the full board's buy-in- Setting the organisation’s inaugural Supply Chain Strategy, incorporating all corporate priorities, which include sustainability, Modern Slavery compliance, Cybersecurity, H&S, and EDI- Creating and launching a brand new Procurement Policy which blends empowering teams, instilling commercial best practice and applying proportionate governance- Introducing a Supplier Charter which outlines two-way environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments- Recruiting, leading and coaching a procurement team of strategic sourcing and data analytics specialists in a category management and business partnering model- Matrix management and standardisation of devolved contract management and supplier relationship management practices through the design and launch of a vendor management framework- Process re-design and evolution, including three system rollouts (Procure-2-Pay, eProcurement, and Travel Management), brand new sourcing and contract template resources, and a preferred supplier list implementation - Compliance with the Public Contract Regulations as relevant

Bristol , Bristol, Gb

Promoted to lead this FTSE250 property company’s entire procurement function during the course of Unite’s £1.4bn acquisition of Liberty Living, a major competitor.My permanent team of 7, supported by 2 others on fixed term contracts, had responsibility for integrating the two organisations’ supply chains to achieve optimum commercial synergies whilst maintaining seamless operational continuity. Our remit spanned the enlarged group’s goods, services and works spend across the 180 property national portfolio as well as ownership of the construction and refurbishment specifications.

Bristol , Bristol, Gb

Reporting to the Commercial Director I was part of the Procurement, Energy & Environment function's leadership team – my role involved heading up property and services procurement for the group managing a team of four. Part of my team category managed Professional Services, IT, Estates and FM as well as being responsible for all department business processes. The other area I oversaw was the group building specification for the development pipeline and existing estate retrofits.

Bristol , Bristol, Gb

Following an internal promotion I managed the Estates and Facilities Management category for Unite’s national property portfolio with the support of one direct report. Procurement department business processes also came under my expanded remit – including the group’s approved supplier list and new supplier setup. In addition, I was the procurement lead for a number of high value Energy Efficiency CAPEX projects as well as the department’s principle Sustainable Procurement and Corporate Governance representative.During this time I was fortunate enough to be granted a place on the group’s senior leadership development programme delivered by a specialist external training provider (running from June 2018 to May 2019).

Bristol , Bristol, Gb

As the estates category buyer for this FTSE250 property company I had responsibility for all the hard and soft facilities management procurement throughout the UK, channelling c.£15m spend per year. This involved the full procurement cycle within these categories – defining the purchase requirement with relevant stakeholders, sourcing and selecting suppliers (using RFI or RFP processes), negotiating and contracting (including drafting bespoke clauses) then ongoing vendor management. Many projects were of a cross-functional nature which honed my strong influencing and communication skills through obtaining wider support for initiatives and to then build and present formal business cases.The geographical distribution, scale and portfolio diversity of Unite’s estate required a flexible approach to asset management and associated procurement. Through working closely with the development procurement function to drive an integrated strategy I had impact on the new build specification for Mechanical & Electrical plant via effective whole life costing.As sustainable procurement lead for the organisation, this incorporated supply chain risk management and procurement on large scale energy efficiency CAPEX projects – including LED, heating controls and CHP units.

Bristol, Gb

A cross-category lead buyer role within a complex, expanding public sector organisation with the addition of line management responsibility of a team of 2/3 from November 2016. This involved running two staff recruitment processes and provided me with experience of team leadership in a changing environment with conflicting demands on staff time. Categories/Tenders: Marketing – branding agency, website designIT – hardware, phones, app development, website hosting, high value scientific equipmentProfessional Services – legal services, course trainers, debt recovery services, cleaning servicesEstates – waste disposal, hazardous waste, vehicles, security, cleaning consumables, furnitureHR – staff benefits, occupational health services, disability support servicesResearch – arts incubation, air pollution (in accordance with EU grant conditions) Tasks/duties performed: Deputising for the Head of Procurement at meetings to inform University strategyAdvising colleagues on purchasing best practiceEnsuring compliance with financial regulations and UK/EU LawManaging tender processes (including Further Competitions and OJEU procedures)Collaborating on joint procurements with other organisationsStakeholder mapping, engagement and managementContract negotiation and managementCommercial negotiation and market analysisLeading on Modern Slavery Act adherence and thereby educating the supply chain Use of eTendering portals and organisation finance systemsAuthorising purchase ordersAuthorising high value purchase card transactionsSigning off new supplier applicationsManaging employeesPublic sector experience

Blagdon, England, Gb

I was put forward for this role by the Managing Director after a few months in the company in a finance/day-to-day purchasing role, as I was seen as someone with potential and this position offered the opportunity to marry up my numerical prowess with the contracting and analytical skills gained from my legal training. Yeo Valley is a large FMCG (fast moving consumable goods) production company which trades in a fiercely competitive setting with the major retailers.Quickly there was responsibility for taking ownership of particular contracts with the potential to make company-wide changes in line with the business’ “one best way” ethos. One example being changing the network used for company mobiles to obtain better signal and benefit from the latest technology – I then project managed this changeover including the contract, budget, logistics and transfer of over 150 lines. My procurement skills grew as a result of experience but also by attending an ‘Expert Negotiator’ course run by the Seren Partnership.Categories/Tenders: Directs (packaging) – card, polymer pots, foils, trays, labellingIndirects – chemicals, PPE & production consumables, engineering spares, waste management, fleet, phonesProjects – sat on the Inventory Optimisation project team, in conjunction with the business’ Continuous Improvement function, to minimise stockholding whilst ensuring “just in time” availability for production needs and therefore delivering the required product to customersTasks/duties performed: Providing analytical reports particularly following changes and trends in raw material prices Collaborating with other teams (Continuous Improvement and Technical) to gain efficienciesNegotiating prices, formulating contracts and conducting tendersCo-ordinating all Supplier Performance AssessmentsManagement of the pool and company car fleets including purchasing to expand the fleetFMCG experience

Blagdon, England, Gb

Duties performed: tracked and authorised commercial expenditure from the sales, marketing and development teams, signed off purchase orders and invoices. Used Microsoft excel and dynamics to interpret data and manage budgets. I regularly provided insight to senior management, including identifying significant variables during negotiations with retailers.

Bachelor Of Laws - Llb (Hons)

Levels 4-6: Diploma To Professional Diploma - Mcips Chartered Professional