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Continuing Your Professional Development

Guidance Document for Contract Management Professionals

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Table of Contents

2

Version 1.0 March 2021

The full CPD Policy can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-helpin

g-you-with-managing-suppliers-and-contracts Next page >

8 – What do I need to do?7 – Can I get a reduction?6 – What is the requirement?5 – Who is covered by the policy?4 – Maintaining your accreditation3 – Why do I need to do CPD?2 – What is CPD?1 – Welcome and introduction

9 – What happens if I don’t meet my target?10 – Where can I go for help?

1 – Examples of CPD activity2 – Requesting a reduction3 – CPD record template4 – Appeals for non-compliance

Appendices

GCF CPD Guide for Contract Management Professionals

5 – CPD resources

1 - Welcome and Introduction

The Assessment Centre is the cornerstone of

the Government Commercial Function to

demonstrate the capability of the Contract

Management professionals who operate

across government and play such a critical

role in ensuring that public money is spent

wisely and that our third party partners deliver

the outcomes we need from them. Achieving

accreditation means that you can be proud

that you meet the demanding standards that

we have set.

But there can be no doubt that the contract

management and commercial environment

worldwide has got much harsher and more

demanding in the last few years. We need to

rise to that challenge by making sure we have

a cadre of true specialists that continue to

thrive in this environment, and who command

the respect, not only of our suppliers and

partners, but also of our colleagues internally.

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Next page >< Previous page Main Menu

It is therefore important that everybody who

achieves accreditation is able to demonstrate

their commitment to their own personal growth

and continued professional development.

This Continuing Professional Development

Policy, set the framework and expectations for

that growth and will enable you and the GCF

more widely to demonstrate the continued

quality of the government’s commercial

professionals.

For many of you, the requirements in this

policy will only formally recognise the

commitment and investment you are already

making in your personal development, but that

development is essential if we are to reach our

vision of being the best commercial function in

the UK.

Gareth Rhys WilliamsGovernment Chief Commercial Officer


2 - What is CPD?

What is CPD?

Continuing Professional Development, or

CPD, can be described as:

“intentionally developing the knowledge, skills and personal knowledge needed to performance professional responsibilities.”1

It is used as a mechanism by many

professions to ensure that individuals keep up

to date with developments in their profession

and changes in the external environment,

regulations and good practice in order to

enable them to continue to be effective in their

roles.

In particular, in professions that are highly

regulated, or which involve the achievement of

qualifications before practicing, CPD is a

critical tool.

What counts as CPD?

Learning can take place in many different ways

and CPD activities can be very varied. The

Government Commercial Function (GCF)

Policy refers to two types of activity:

• Formal: this refers to more structured

activities – such as courses, conferences

and events, webinars and seminars, exams

and other assessments

• Informal: this refers to more self-directed

activities – such as reading, articles,

podcasts, stretch-roles or projects,

mentoring, creating thought leadership

CPD is not confined only to courses for which

a fee is paid. Whilst there may be charges

made for some activities that will contribute to

your CPD hours, there are very many others

that will be freely available.

Appendix 1 provides some further examples of

activities that constitute CPD activities.

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1 - CPD Standards Office, “3 minute guide” Next page >< Previous page Main Menu


3 - Why do I need to do CPD?

5

In the past there has been significant scrutiny

of the government’s commercial and contract

management capabilities and the programmes

implemented by the GCF have provided

significant assurance to those scrutineers that

it is improving capabilities across government.

But it is important that the the government is

not complacent and that it continues to support

commercial and contract managers in order to

demonstrate that it is continuing to maintain

and improve those standards and capabilities.


The Rationale for CPD

The Government Commercial Function’s

(GCF) vision is to be the best commercial

function in the UK. To help it to achieve this it

has invested heavily in increasing commercial

and contract management capabilities across

government through professional standards,

learning and development and programmes of

individual accreditation.

The public have a right to expect that public

money spent on third parties is done so

effectively and managed in a way that delivers

value for money.


4 - Maintaining your accreditation

The GCF accreditation programmes provide a

snapshot in time of an individual’s capability

and skills in commercial and contract

management activities. However, it’s important

that you continue to maintain and develop your

skills over time:

• The world in which government operates

and commercial and contract management

policies, regulations and practices evolve

over time. The GCF recognises the need for

continuous improvement in order to achieve

its vision, including continual improvement

of the capability of its people. CPD is the

ideal activity to support this personal

development.

• Supporting personal development is the

right thing to do as an employer in order to

help with your personal growth and to help

you to meet your career aspirations. For

most accredited individuals CPD will only be

recognising learning and development

activities that you are already undertaking

as part of your annual development plans.

• CPD provides a way for you to demonstrate

your continued ability to meet commercial

and contract management professional

standards, and thus retain your

accreditation, without placing an undue

level of additional burden on you.

• Whilst most accredited individuals exercise

their skills and capabilities on a daily basis

in their existing roles, delivering the ‘day job’

does not provide you with sufficient

opportunity to learn new skills and

approaches that will help to support your

own development or the continual

improvement of the government’s approach

to commercial and contract management.

Therefore, other learning and development

activity is needed.

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5 - Who is covered by the policy?

The CPD Policy applies to all individuals that

are currently accredited by the Government

Commercial Function or become accredited in

the future.

In this policy accreditation is defined as:

• the achievement of an ‘A’ score at:

• a Commercial ADC - whether this is

taken as part of transition, a recruitment

campaign or for development purposes

as an employee of a wider government

body

• the assessment component of the

Contract Management Capability

Programme (CMCP) at Practitioner or

Expert level CMCP

• any future assessment event offered by

the GCF

• or the awarding of ‘Accredited’ status

following a Panel hearing subsequent to

one of the assessment events above.

For the purpose of clarity this policy:

• applies to all individuals who have ever

been accredited at a Commercial ADC or

through the CMCP, regardless of whether

they are or are not employed by the

Government Commercial Organisation or

managing a Gold, Silver or Bronze contract

at the time that this policy comes into effect

• applies to all individuals who have been

accredited through a Commercial ADC as

part of a recruitment campaign but who

were not subsequently offered a role in the

GCO or who were an employee of a wider

government body

• does not apply to those individuals that

successfully pass the assessment for the

online Contract Management Foundation

Programme.

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6 - What is the requirement?

The Requirement

You are required to complete a minimum of

150 hours of CPD activity over the five-year

period of your accreditation validity in order to

be re-accredited at the end of that period. This

equates to only 2.5 hours per month, less than

half a day. A minimum of 50 hours should be

formal activities, as described earlier.

The requirement provides flexibility as to how

much CPD you complete each year so that

you can manage fluctuations in your workload

and to fit with your wider development plans.

However, you are encouraged to aim for

around 30 hours each year, where possible, in

order to distribute the requirement smoothly

over the period.

CPD activity should be focused on supporting

you to continue to meet the People Standards

for Commercial or the Contract Management

Professional Standards, but activity can

comprise a wide mix of technical, professional

and business acumen skills, and leadership,

relationship and judgement skills.

Any activity that you undertake to meet CPD

requirements of other organisations, such as

CIPS, World Commerce and Contracting or

other professional bodies, can be used to

contribute to the GCF CPD requirement.

The GCF will provide a range of optional

activities which will contribute towards meeting

CPD requirements and will also maintain a

catalogue of suitable CPD activities provided

by other organisations.

However, you are free to identify activities to

support you to meet your CPD requirement

from any other source, including the Learning

Platform for Government, professional or other

membership bodies, and academic and other

external learning bodies.

Many external programmes have ‘CPD’

accreditation which clearly states the ‘value’ of

the programme (in terms of hours of CPD that

can be claimed), but you may also choose

learning and development activities which do

not have such accreditation.

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7 - Can I get a reduction?

GCF is committed to ensuring that CPD

requirements are fair and do not create

disproportionate burdens on some accredited

individuals compared to others. There are a

number of circumstances where an individual

can request a reduction in the standard CPD

requirement of 150 hours over a five-year

period.

• The individual achieved their accredited

status before 1st April 2021: if you are

already accredited on the date that the CPD

Policy comes into effect, you will have your

requirement pro-rated, based on the table

below. This reduction should be applied

automatically.

• The accredited individual is employed on a

part time basis: If you work on a part-time

basis you will have their requirement

pro-rated, based on their FTE figure. If you

change your FTE status during your CPD

period you should notify the GCF CPD team

so that your requirement can be adjusted

accordingly.

• Maternity / Shared Parental / Adoption

Leave: If you take maternity, shared

parental or adoption leave of more than one

month you should contact the GCF CPD

Team and provide details of your leave.

CPD requirements will be reduced on the

basis of 2.5 hours per month of absence.

• Other absences from work over one month:

If you will be absent from work for a period

of one month or more and wish to request a

reduction in your CPD hours you may

request a reduction on the basis of 2.5

hours per month.

• Further details on how to request a

reduction can be found in Appendix 2.

9

Year of Accreditation

Accreditation expiry

CPD requirement before expiry date

2015/2016 31/03/20222 30 hours

2016/2017 31/03/2022 30 hours

2017/2018 31/03/2023 60 hours

2018/2019 31/03/2024 90 hours

2019/2020 31/03/2025 120 hours

2020/2021 31/03/2026 150 hours

2021/2022 31/03/2027 150 hours

2 - Validity has been extended by one year for people accredited in 2015/16

Continued…



7 - Can I get a reduction?

For clarity, absence from work means not

being in any working role for a period of one

month or more.

It does not include a temporary move from a

current commercial or contract management

role to another role. If anything, CPD becomes

even more important if you are not performing

your normal commercial or contract

management roles on a day-to-day basis.

A reduction in CPD requirement will not be

granted for periods of abnormally high

workloads. The CPD policy has been created

to allow you flexibility over a five-year period

as to when to engage in CPD activity and this

flexibility should allow you to manage the

demands of your workload.

In the event of an unexpected and prolonged

period of abnormally high workload in the final

year of accreditation, which prevents you from

completing your planned CPD activity an

appeal may be made at the end of that year

for dispensation.

If you have any questions about

circumstances relating to a request for a

reduction please contact the Contract

Management CPD team:

[email protected]

Further details on the process for applying for

reductions are outlined in Appendix 2 of this

guide.

10



8 - What do I need to do?

In order to keep the CPD process simple there

are very few actions required and the process

should fit easily into your annual Performance

Management cycle.

At the start of the year - consider your

development plan and learning objectives for

the year and activities that can help you to

meet those objectives.

During the year - undertake and record

details of your CPD activities. It is also good

practice to consider progress at the mid year

point and refine development plans if required.

At the year end - discuss your CPD as part of

your year end review and agree your CPD

hours with your line manager.

11

You are then required to submit a CPD self-certification statement, confirming how

many hours of CPD you have undertaken

during the year. You will receive a reminder to

do this each year, with a link to the statement.

The GCF CPD self-certification statement is to

be emailed to [email protected]

We strongly encourage you to keep a record of

CPD activities that you undertake during the

year in order to provide an evidence base to

support your annual statement in case you are

selected for a CPD Audit.

A template for such a record is contained in

Appendix 3 to this guide, but you are free to

use other templates if you prefer.



9 - What happens if I don’t meet my target?

The CPD requirement, at roughly 30 hours per

year, has been set at a level that reflects the

development and learning activities that the

majority of professionals already undertake.

Meeting your target number of CPD hours by

the end of the relevant period should not be

difficult for most people to achieve.

As an accredited Contract Manager, you are

likely to have plenty of opportunities to keep

your professional competence up to date,

managing medium to high profile contracts,

spending time in supplier meetings, briefings,

reading relevant publications, and going to

conferences, presentations and additional

training courses.

We recommend that you use the CPD log

within the guide to record your development,

identify skills gaps and plan how to fill them.

This shows the commitment you are making to

your area of work and to upholding the

Contract Management Professional Standards

The expectation is that you will complete a

reasonable3 amount of CPD each year, and

that by the final year of your accreditation

validity, you will complete the required number

of hours for the whole period.

If you have not completed the required number

of hours by the specified period you will be

considered to be NOT ACCREDITED.

We do understand that at times, things do not

go according to plan so there is an Appeals

Process for those who have certain reasons

for missing their target.

If you have any questions relating to not

meeting your CPD target please contact the

GCF CPD team:

[email protected]

Further details regarding the process for

submitting an appeal are contained in

Appendix 4 of this guide.

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3 – To be agreed with your line-manager Next page >< Previous page Main Menu


10 - Where can I go for help?

Looking for suitable CPD activities

GCF is committed to providing suitable

activities that can help you to meet your CPD

requirement. We are building partnerships with

a range of commercial and other professional

bodies in order to identify suitable CPD

activities. Check out the Government

Commercial College on a regular basis as we

will be adding new activities that you can use

to count towards your CPD requirement on a

regular basis.

If you are a member of CIPS, World

Commerce and Contracting, or another

chartered or professional body it’s highly likely

that they will also offer programmes and

activities that will make great CPD so check

out their learning and development web-pages

as well.

The Learning Platform for Government will

also have many different learning and

development interventions that will help you to

meet your development goals and meet your

CPD requirements.

General enquiries and questions

If you have a general question about this CPD

Policy, the requirement, activities that might

count towards your CPD or other matters

please contact the Contract Management CPD

team.

You can email them on

[email protected]

Useful links

Government Commercial Function: Government Commercial College Learning

Catalogue

Appendix 5 contains further links to resources

that have been curated to support you to meet

your professional development and CPD

needs.

13



https://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk/totara/catalog/index.php




Appendices

Guidance Document for Commercial Professionals


1 – Examples of CPD activity

Formal

• Conferences, including GCF annual conference

• GCF all staff calls

• Civil Service Learning programmes

• GCF training programmes / events

• GCF masterclasses, events and guest speakers

• GCF Summer Series Webinar or listening to the

recordings

• Other blended and open-learning courses,

including those on the GCC and Learning

Platform for Government

• CIPS exams and other training

• Other commercial and contract management

related accredited qualifications, including World

CC

• On-line interactive webinars / seminars /

workshops

Informal• Attendance at the Commercial Capability Working

group and other cross functional boards,

workshops, groups and forums

• Attendance at meeting of the GCF North, South,

Scotland or Regional Steering Groups / Councils

• Time spent on working groups for a professional

organisation

• Being a Red Team Reviewer or Host Team

Member

• Coaching / mentoring of others (not line

management)

• Helping to lead GCF D&I groups or KHUB groups

• Lectures / training given to others

• Presentations made on commercial or contract

management

• On-the-job learning through stretch roles on

projects

• Workplace shadowing of managers / colleagues

• Reading GCF news and contributing stories

• Reading relevant articles / blogs / thought pieces /

Listening to relevant podcasts / recorded webinars

15

What is not CPD?

• Activities under 30 minutes (time spent reading

relevant materials or listening to podcasts etc

can be aggregated)

• Day-to-day line management of direct reports –

e.g. appraisals, setting objectives

• Normal ‘day job’ activities

• Learning that is not relevant to your role or the

relevant professional standards

Mandatory Training

• CPD activity should be focused on the skills and

abilities needed to meet the relevant standards for

your profession

• You may be required to undertake mandatory

training by your department, E.G. data protection,

health and safety

• You should only consider mandatory training as

CPD if it can be reasonably seen to contribute to

those professional standards

• If you are in doubt as to whether it counts, discuss

it with your line-manager in the first instance, or

contact the Contract Management CPD team on

[email protected]



Name Name of the person requesting a reduction

FTE e.g. 1 = Full-time, 0.8 = 4 days per week

Date of first day of absence from work

XX/YY/ZZZ

Date of expected return to work

AA/BB/CCCC. (Must be at least 1 month after date of first absence)

Reason for absence

• Maternity / Shared Parental / Adoption leave

• Sick leave

• Carers leave

• Special leave

• Other – please specify

Any additional information

Any other information relevant to your request. Required if Reason for Absence is ‘Other’

Line Manager’s Name

Name of the line manager of the person requesting a reduction

Line Manager’s email address

Email address of the line manager of the person requesting a reduction

2 – Requesting a reduction

Requesting a reduction in CPD hours

If you believe that any of the reasons outlined

in Section 7 apply to you, you can request for a

reduction to your CPD requirement for your

current accreditation period.

Please send an email containing the

information shown here to:

[email protected]

cc’ing your line-manager.

Where possible, requests for reductions should

be made prior to your period of absence, but if

this is not possible or if your return is delayed,

please request the reduction as soon as

possible on your return.

The GCF CPD team will acknowledge receipt

of your request within 2 working days of

receipt, and in most circumstances you will

receive a decision within 10 working days.

Any questions or feedback about this Request for Reductions in CPD Hours Process should be emailed to [email protected]

16

< Back to Section 7 Next page >< Previous page Main Menu


3 – CPD record template

Development Activity Evaluation

Date Details of activity

Type Relevant Professional Standards Attribute

CPD Hours

Key Learning Points* Learning Statement**

01/01/21 Free text(Formal/ Informal)

(Business Acumen, Leadership, Technical Expertise)

Numeric Free text Free text

02/06/21 GCF Commercial Webinar

Formal

Business Acumen / Technical expertise

2

Gained insight into the new rules for procurement and sources of further information and guidance that I can consult

I will now be able to conduct procurements under the new UK procurement regime.

14/08/21

AI in Procurement – article in Procurement Monthly

Informal Technical expertise 1

Learnt about new developments in AI that are now being used to support commercial activities in the US, in particular with regards to evaluating supplier bids.

I will discuss this with colleagues at our next Departmental Commercial network to consider whether we could implement similar actions internally.

Total

CPD Requirement XXX hours BY XX/YY/20ZZ

* what were the main things you learnt from this activity?** what are you now able to do / do differently as a result of this learning?


17GCF CPD Guide for Contract Management Professionals

4 – Appeals for non-compliance

Submitting an Appeal

If you receive notification that you are no

longer accredited, but believe that your meet

one of the criteria Section 9, then you may

appeal against this decision, within 10 working

days of receipt of the notice.

Please send an email containing the

information shown here to:

[email protected]

cc’ing your line-manager.

The GCF CPD team will acknowledge receipt

of your request within 2 working days of

receipt. Initial consideration of the appeal will

take place within 5 days, based on whether the

appeal is based on the grounds set out in

Section 9 and is submitted within 10 days.

If the appeal passes initial consideration it will

be considered by a relevant member of the

GCF Contract Management Learning and

Development Faculty. In most circumstances

you will receive a decision within 5 working

days.

Any questions or feedback about this Request for Reductions in CPD Hours Process should be emailed to [email protected]

< Back to Section 9

Name Name of the person appealing

Line Manager’s Name

Name of the line manager of the person requesting a reduction

Line Manager’s email address

Email address of the line manager of the person requesting a reduction

Grounds for Appeal

• Cancellation/Postponement

• Workload

• Extended period of Absence

• Other – please specify

Detail

Please provide details of the circumstances relating to your appeal. For example, what CPD activity was planned and why it did not take place; what additional work was required and why it was unexpected.

Plans to meet requirement

Please provide details of plans in place that will enable you to meet your current CPD target within the first quarter of the new performance year.

Any additional details

Please provide any additional information in support of your appeal.



5 – CPD Resources

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Beyond Foundation ProgrammeThis programme has been designed to build on your Foundation Level learning. It is particularly useful if you are due to complete the Practitioner or Expert training, as it will help build on your technical understanding of how to manage a contract. The series consists of nine modules which can be completed in any order you choose, and at a pace which is comfortable to you. Enrol:https://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk/course/view.php?id=75

General Grants or Commercial Procurement?This module bridges a gap in knowledge regarding the differences and similarities in process and skills between Contract Management / Commercial procurement and grants. It will also direct you to further training to improve your skills and / or knowledge of policy areas for Contract Management / Commercial and grants.Enrol:http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk

Contract Scenario Planning Web classThis web class focuses on the current situation and when it is appropriate to step back and take stock. It includes a brief overview of "how to develop a strategy" using VMOSTEnrol:http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk

Free Contract Management Internal Resources

Introduction to Contract Management for SROs and SBOsThis training provides an overview of the specific role of the SRO/SBO in dealing with contract management issues at different stages of the contract management lifecycle. Enrol:http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk

Trade-offs when Varying Contracts WebclassThe webclass focuses on how major changes to a contract can be agreed with the customer and the importance of having a sufficient understanding of the time, cost, quality and risk transfer considerations that arise while negotiating a change and then managing the amended contract.Enrol:http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk

Emerging from the Crisis: a Contract Manager's Guide to Planning AheadThis web class explores potential approaches different business sectors might adopt to plan for the next stages of a crisis and future ‘normality’. It also explains how knowledge of those plans can help Contract Managers ensure continuity of delivery.Enrol:http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk

Contract Mobilisation: Essentials in a Crisis Web ClassThe session focuses on how to lay sound foundations for effective contract management and delivery through mobilising contracts in a crisis.Enrol:http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk


Continued…

https://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk/course/view.php?id=75

https://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk/course/view.php?id=75

http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk/






SRO Module 2 - Posing the Right Questions: For Contract Management SROs/SBOsThis training allows Senior Responsible Owners (SRO) and Senior Business Owners (SBO) to understand the significance of their role when dealing with issues arising from the management of contracts, which are often central to the success of a project, policy objective or business process.Cost: Please speak with your Partnership Manager Enrol: http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk

SRO Module 3 - Contract Management Teams and GovernanceThis module provides an understanding how the CM resources should be organised in different stages of the contract lifecycle. The Senior Responsible Owners and Senior Business Owners will gain an understanding of how various expert teams should work together and related information flows. Cost: Please speak with your Partnership Manager Enrol: http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk

Module 4 - Assessing Trade-Offs - Where Arising from Crisis or PolicyThis training allows Senior Responsible Owners (SRO) and Senior Business Owners (SBO) to understand the significance of their role when dealing with issues arising from the management of contracts, which are often central to the success of a project, policy objective or business process. The prerequisite for this course is Introduction to contract management for senior responsible / business ownersCost: Please speak with your Partnership Manager Enrol: http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk

SRO Module 5 - Posing the Right Questions: For Contract Management SROs/SBOsThis training allows Senior Responsible Owners (SRO) and Senior Business Owners (SBO) to understand the significance of their role when dealing with issues arising from the management of contracts, which are often central to the success of a project, policy objective or business process. The prerequisite for this course is Introduction to contract management for senior responsible / business owners.Cost: Please speak with your Partnership Manager Enrol: http://www.govcommercialcollege.co.uk

5 – CPD Resources

Additional Contract Management Internal Resources







5 – CPD Resources

21


World Commerce and Contracting (World CC)The World CC is a not for profit association which focuses on promoting standards and raising capabilities in commercial practice. Their aim is to equip members with knowledge and networks that support successful contracts and commercial relationships.Access Resources:https://www.worldcc.com/Resources/Content-Hub

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)RICS is a professional body promoting and enforcing the international standards in the valuation, management and development of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. RICS works at a cross-governmental level, delivering a single, international standard for land, real estate, construction and infrastructure, for the benefit of all.Access Resources:https://academy.rics.org/

Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA)CIPFA is an international accountancy membership and standard-setting body. CIPFA believes that improving public services is the key to changing lives for the better and that good public financial management is central to achieving this ambition. Their educational and advisory services support members and other public finance professionals throughout their careers – helping them add value to their teams and the organisations for which they work.Access Resources:https://www.cipfa.org/training

Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS)

CIPS is a professional body which strives to promote good procurement practice. The organisation works to ensure that procurement and supply chain management professionals have the capabilities and responsibility to deliver sustainability goals for their organisations.

Access Resources:https://www.cips.org/knowledge/

External Resources


https://www.worldcc.com/Resources/Content-Hub

https://academy.rics.org/

https://www.cipfa.org/training

https://www.cips.org/knowledge/

GCF Continuing Professional DevelopmentGuidance Document for Contract Management Professionals Version 1 March 2021

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