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BC government's new Procurement and Contract Management Program

What is the PCMP?

The Procurement and Contract Management Program is a new, corporate learning program designed for BC government employees to improve on-the-job performance in all aspects of the procurement function. It is specifically built to meet the demands of today's challenging procurement environment and workload pressures. The Program has four proficiency levels and includes a range of on-line, instructor-led and blended learning resources and courses. The courses within the Program are competency-based and results-driven, and include on-line resources to support learning at every level - from administrator to executive. All staff that are engaged in the procurement process or are responsible for managing procurement and contract activities will benefit.

Where did the PCMP come from?

The Province produced the Procurement Competency Model and Procurement Curriculum Framework in 2002, and issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) in 2003, for the design, development and delivery of the procurement management curriculum. A consortium, called the NECI Consortium, led by the National Education Consulting Inc. (NECI) was the successful bidder. The NECI Consortium consists of NECI, Etraffic Solutions, Three E Training Inc. Stevens Consulting Group and Sector Business School. The work began in June 2004, and the curriculum will be fully developed by 2008, with new courses and learning resources at every level available each year.

How is this Learning Program Different?

In the past, learning programs have primarily been designed, developed and delivered as stand alone, knowledge-based training courses. This learning curriculum is different because it contains a series of fully integrated, employee driven, skills-focused courses and resources that support learning before and after course delivery. This fundamental shift in delivery format, affects all aspects of the teaching/learning experience, and is expected to produce better learning results.

The before and after learning activates, combined with opportunities to practice and access to state-of-the-art learning recourses can only help to encourage employees to work towards their PCMP certification and career goals.

Key Features of PCMP

The key features of the PCMP include:

• Dedicated procurement learning website
• Self-assessment tools
• Self-directed and peer-to-peer e-learning courses
• Instructor-led courses
• On-the-job training assignments
• Mentoring opportunities
• Annual update workshops
• On-line learning resources (e.g. Library)
• Employee Learning Record
• Certification process and graduation

Why Certification?

Approximately 12,000 government employees are involved in procurement or contract management activities at any one time. PCMP Certification will:

• encourage succession planning and mentoring;
• include courses and on-the-job training assignments in the procurement and contract management;
• recognize individuals who achieve certification at an annual convocation ceremony for Program graduates;
• establish a preferred standard for hiring and developing procurement and contract management staff;
• provide a mechanism for competent staff to challenge course certification requirements;
• provide learning opportunities for individuals to build capacity, or upgrade their certification.

Completion of all the courses in levels 1 - 3 will result in PCMP Certification. In fiscal 2005/06, a process will be put in place to allow seasoned procurement and contract management staff to "challenge" the course attendance requirement for certification purposes. Attendance at Update Seminars (coming in 2008) and some Level 4 courses will allow PCMP Graduates to maintain their certification and continue to build capacity.

When will it be ready and who can access the PCMP?

Curriculum development is already underway. Three new learning programs are currently being delivered and seven more are scheduled for production this coming year. The curriculum - when fully developed - will consist of approximately 18 learning programs ranging from ½ day to two days each. The full curriculum and all the learning resources will be fully developed and operational by 2007. The BC government and NECI Consortium fully recognize the value in allowing some external participants to attend government-learning programs. During the first three years, priority will be given to BC government employees, however, it is expected that other public sector organizations may be interested in attending some of the PCMP learning programs once the full curriculum is up and running.

NECI Consortium

The PCMP Program including the PCMP Learning Portal was custom designed by the NECI Consortium for the BC government in collaboration with government staff. The NECI Consortium consists of the following five companies:

Participation in just one course will get participants into the PCMP Learning Portal and access to all the on-line learning resources available 24/7, from any government or non-government workstation.

Contacts

Organizations and individuals outside the B.C. Public Service who are interested in learning more about the Procurement and Contract Management Program can contact:

National Education Consulting Inc
Project Management Office
Procurement and Contract Management Program
info@procurementlearning.com
(250) 370-0041

B.C. government employees who want to know more about the Program, course schedules and certification requirements should visit the PCMP Learning Portal or contact the PCMP Project Office at info@procurementlearning.com

B.C. government contacts are:

Learning Services Branch, BC Public Service Agency
Mariana.Gerenska@gov.bc.ca
(250) 356-8934

Procurement Governance Office, Ministry of Finance
Dave.Collisson@gov.bc.ca
(250) 387-8114

Strategic Acquisitions and Intellectual Property
Frank.Hudson@gov.bc.ca
(250) 356-0843

Click here for more information on PCMP