Commissioning & Procurement Lead

Commissioning & Procurement Operating Model Design Define the future-state Commissioning & Procurement operating model aligned to Oracle Fusion Cloud, incorporating the three-layer framework (Strategic governance, Tactical Commercial Services Hub, Operational directorate spokes) as set out in the Council’s C&P Future State Model. Clarify roles and accountabilities across strategic commissioning, operational commissioning, brokerage, sourcing, category management, contract management, commercial governance, and end-to-end P2P, ensuring alignment between the Commercial Services Hub and directorate commissioning spokes (Adults, Children’s, Public Health, Place & Resources, Corporate). Ensure alignment with the Procurement Act 2023, Public Contracts Regulations, Council financial regulations, and the nine C&P design principles (Outcomes-Based, Connected Strategic Commissioning, Council-Wide Scope, Consistent Approach, Commerciality & Value for Money, Public Sector Partnership, Local Enterprise Engagement, Risk Appetite, and Evaluating Options for Consolidation). Design and embed the commissioning cycle framework within Oracle, ensuring commissioning strategy, needs assessment, market shaping, procurement execution, contract management, and outcome monitoring are supported by integrated Oracle modules and analytics. Lead the integration of social care commissioning requirements with Oracle Procurement Cloud, including the design of OIC interfaces between Oracle and Mosaic/LiquidLogic for Adults’ and Children’s brokerage and placement purchasing.

Process Simplification & Standardisation Redesign requisitioning, approvals, supplier onboarding, commissioning workflows, contract lifecycle processes, and brokerage referral pathways to align with Oracle Fusion Cloud best practice and the C&P Hub & Spoke model. Eliminate SAP legacy workarounds, shadow procurement systems, and manual contract registers, replacing them with Oracle Enterprise Contracts, Sourcing, and Supplier Portal capabilities. Drive adoption of standard Oracle-enabled processes across both the Commercial Services Hub (procurement services, contract management, commercial governance) and directorate spokes (self-service procurement, operational commissioning, supplier engagement). Define and implement the self-service procurement model, ensuring budget holders can raise requisitions from catalogues, approve purchases, and track orders directly, reducing reliance on central procurement for transactional activity.

Governance, Compliance & Risk Strengthen commissioning and procurement governance and internal controls, including the design of the Commercial Steering Group, commercial governance standards, and the commissioning performance framework within Oracle OTBI/OAC. Own the commissioning and procurement risk register within the ERP programme, ensuring risks related to Procurement Act 2023 compliance, social care commissioning integration, and contract migration are actively managed. Provide assurance on commissioning and procurement readiness for go-live, including validation of Oracle Sourcing, Enterprise Contracts, Supplier Portal, SQM, and P2P configurations against the C&P design principles. Define and configure the social value evaluation framework within Oracle Sourcing, including weighting methodology, local enterprise scoring, and environmental sustainability criteria aligned to the Council’s social value policy.

Data & Systems Enablement Oversee cleansing and migration of supplier master data, contract registers, commitment data, and commissioning spend data from SAP and manual systems into Oracle Fusion Cloud. Approve procurement and commissioning data migration rules, including supplier categorisation, contract hierarchies, and SQM qualification criteria for the Oracle Supplier Portal. Ensure alignment between procurement design, commissioning analytics, and finance controls, including real-time budget commitment tracking and cost centre alignment across Oracle Procurement Cloud and Financials Cloud. Specify the OIC integration requirements between Oracle and Mosaic/LiquidLogic for social care brokerage, ensuring financial and contract data flows seamlessly between the commissioning and ERP platforms.

Change & Adoption Leadership Lead stakeholder engagement across all directorates and commissioning spokes, building buy-in for the transition from fragmented SAP procurement to Oracle’s integrated commissioning and procurement platform. Support training and business readiness activities for procurement and commissioning staff, super users, and budget holders, working with the CoH Change, Adoption & Training function to deliver role-based Oracle training. Embed post-go-live continuous improvement, including quarterly Oracle release adoption for procurement modules, commissioning analytics refinement, and capability maturity development across the C&P Hub & Spoke model.

Benefits Realisation Define measurable commissioning and procurement transformation benefits, including procurement compliance rates, maverick spend reduction, contract coverage, commissioning cycle time, social value delivery, supplier diversity, and self-service adoption rates. Track and report benefits aligned to the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP), including the 11 FTE procurement headcount reduction, contract savings, and process automation efficiencies identified in the Oracle Fusion Skills Ontology.

Strategic Commissioning & Market Shaping Lead the development of the organisational commissioning strategy and framework, ensuring it is embedded in Oracle through configured KPIs, outcome measures, and performance reporting via OTBI/OAC dashboards. Design the market shaping and provider engagement approach within Oracle SQM and Supplier Portal, enabling systematic supplier development, SME/VCSE capacity building, and local enterprise engagement aligned to the Council’s place-shaping objectives. Coordinate commissioning governance structures that sit outside the ERP platform (Commercial Steering Group, Integrated Commissioning governance, partnership frameworks with ICS and VCSE), ensuring they receive data and analytics from Oracle to support evidence-based commissioning decisions. Work with the Corporate Director – All-Age Commissioning and the Corporate Director – Corporate & Commercial Services to align strategic commissioning priorities across Adults, Children’s, Public Health, and Place & Resources with Oracle’s procurement and analytics capabilities.

3. Programme Phase Skill Mapping Programme Phase Key Skills Required Procurement Transformation Focus Leadership Expectations Mobilisation & Discovery Stakeholder engagement, current state assessment, risk identification Map existing commissioning & procurement processes across all directorates; identify SAP pain points; define commissioning cycle requirements; baseline contract registers and brokerage pathways Establish credibility; define transformation vision Design Phase Operating model design, Oracle procurement knowledge, governance alignment Define future-state commissioning & procurement processes; align approvals, social value framework, and commercial governance to Oracle best practice; design Hub & Spoke operating model; configure Procurement Act 2023 compliance rules Act as Commissioning & Procurement Design Authority; challenge legacy complexity; validate C&P model alignment Build & Configuration Functional validation, data migration oversight, compliance assurance Validate Oracle Sourcing, Enterprise Contracts, SQM, and Supplier Portal configuration against C&P operating model; oversee supplier, contract, and commissioning data cleansing; validate OIC integration with social care systems Escalate misalignment risks early Testing (SIT & UAT) End-to-end P2P testing, defect prioritisation, reconciliation awareness Ensure realistic commissioning & procurement test scenarios across all modules; validate end-to-end P2P, sourcing events, contract lifecycle, brokerage integration, and Procurement Act transparency reporting Protect compliance & financial control outcomes Cutover & Go-Live Readiness assessment, risk sign-off, governance reporting Validate open commitments, supplier readiness, contract migration completeness, Supplier Portal activation, delegated authority controls, and commissioning dashboard readiness Advise Programme Director on procurement go-live confidence Hypercare & Optimisation Performance monitoring, benefits tracking, continuous improvement Embed compliance improvements; track maverick spend reduction Drive long-term commissioning and procurement maturity; establish quarterly Oracle release adoption; lead C&P capability development 4. Person Specification Essential Experience Senior leadership experience in both Procurement and Commissioning within Local Government or public sector, with demonstrable experience of the full commissioning cycle (needs assessment, market shaping, procurement, contract management, outcome monitoring). Experience leading procurement and commissioning transformation within Local Government, including operating model redesign, process standardisation, and technology-enabled change. ERP implementation experience (SAP and/or Oracle), with the ability to translate commissioning and procurement requirements into system configuration specifications. Strong knowledge of the Procurement Act 2023, Public Contracts Regulations, and local government governance and financial regulations. Experience working at Executive or Cabinet level, with the ability to advise senior leaders on commissioning strategy, commercial governance, and procurement risk. Experience of commissioning in social care or health settings (Adults, Children’s, or Public Health), including an understanding of brokerage, provider markets, and integrated commissioning with NHS/ICS partners. Proven ability to design and implement hub-and-spoke operating models for commissioning and procurement across complex multi-directorate organisations.

Desirable Experience Direct SAP to Oracle Fusion Cloud transition experience, particularly in Procurement Cloud, Enterprise Contracts, and Sourcing modules. Experience designing and implementing strategic commissioning frameworks in a local authority setting, including outcomes-based commissioning and market shaping strategies. Knowledge of Oracle Fusion Procurement Cloud, Oracle Sourcing, Enterprise Contracts, SQM, Supplier Portal, and OTBI/OAC procurement analytics. MCIPS or equivalent professional procurement qualification; commissioning qualifications (e.g., IPC, AMED) or demonstrable equivalent experience. Experience of social value implementation within procurement, including community wealth building, local enterprise development, and net zero commissioning.

5. Success Measures Improved procurement and commissioning compliance rates across all directorates. Reduced maverick spend through Oracle self-service procurement and embedded budget controls. Strengthened audit confidence through Oracle’s complete transaction audit trail and automated compliance reporting. Successful adoption of Oracle Procurement Cloud, Enterprise Contracts, Sourcing, Supplier Portal, and SQM across all C&P Hub functions and directorate spokes. Achievement of commissioning and procurement MTFP savings, including the 11 FTE (58%) procurement headcount reduction identified in the Skills Ontology. Operational C&P Hub & Spoke model, with the Commercial Services Hub processing procurement and contract management services centrally and directorates operating through self-service and super user networks. Commissioning performance dashboards operational in OTBI/OAC, providing real-time visibility of contract performance, spend analytics, supplier risk, and outcome delivery across all commissioning areas. Full Procurement Act 2023 compliance achieved from Day 1 of Oracle go-live, including pipeline notices, transparency reporting, and Most Advantageous Tender evaluation frameworks.

6. Governance & Authority The postholder will act as Commissioning & Procurement Design Authority within the ERP Programme, approve all commissioning and procurement process design, validate Oracle configuration against the C&P Future State Model, recommend go-live readiness for procurement and commissioning modules, and escalate risks to the ERP Programme Director, Section 151 Officer, and Corporate Director – All-Age Commissioning as required. The postholder will sit on the ERP Design Authority Board and the Commercial Steering Group, providing the bridge between the strategic commissioning agenda and the ERP programme’s technical delivery.