Apprentice Procurement Support Officer

Summary

Start your career in procurement with LBBD. Gain hands-on experience supporting procurement and contract management activities while working towards a recognised Procurement and Supply Chain apprenticeship.

These apprenticeship opportunities are open to eligible residents of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham only.

Wage

£27,008 a year

Apprentices at LBBD are paid the London Living Wage which is currently £27,008 per year. 

Training course

Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)

Hours

Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm. Some evening or weekend work may be required with prior agreement and advanced notice.

35 hours a week

Start date

Tuesday 1 December 2026

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

2

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

• Carry out low value sourcing by running quotes and mini-competitions, and process purchase orders.
• Provide a help desk service, acting as the primary point of contact for new work requests and general queries for LBBD Procurement.
• Manage and maintain the library of procurement and contract documentation used by LBBD Procurement, including maintaining external reporting information.
• Carry out research on new procurement projects under supervision; assist the category workstream and, under supervision, carry out tendering activity.
• Assist in the development of customer relationships across LBBD, maintaining awareness of issues, planned changes and developments across the council, including internal communications, organising events, and liaising with suppliers and customers.
• Assist in compiling and distributing management information reports on the status of work across the function.
• Provide general assistance and carry out administrative tasks as requested by the line manager, including creating accurate spend reports under supervision and advising officers on the availability of suitable contracts.

Where you'll work

Town Hall
1 Town Square
Barking
IG11 7LU

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

SR SUPPLY CHAIN CONSULTANTS LTD

Training course

Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Monitor and order products, stock, equipment and services at appropriate times using the appropriate procurement method.
• Communicate to procurement's internal stakeholders, suppliers and other stakeholders in order to develop effective relationships and networks
• Create, maintain and amend purchase order and contract records.
• Interpret, evaluate and compare procurement information such as historical spend and usage using databases and spreadsheets.
• Present findings and data in all formats e.g. mathematically, written and oral.
• Determine value for money (VFM) and added value through the use of Total Cost of Ownership during the evaluation process, and apply the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) criteria to the evaluation of quotes and tenders to support the recommendation at award. This may include the inclusion of green, low carbon, sustainability, and ethical criteria.
• Utilise relevant Procurement computer systems or internal databases.
• Select the supplier of the most appropriate products and services for purchases within their remit and place purchase order.
• Undertake appraisal of adhoc and low spend suppliers including setting them up on the purchasing system.
• Effectively research and analyse demand, spend, trends, potential suppliers and industries utilising qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Develop specifications of requirements and requests for quotes/tenders in line with organisational requirements.
• Apply considerations of responsible procurement in evaluating potential suppliers, quotes and tenders.
• Investigate and resolve purchase order, delivery and invoice queries.
• Own low risk value projects such as supply contracts for stationery, personal protective equipment (PPE) or other consumables, and contribute to higher risk activities such as contracts for building services or machinery, and track, log, expedite and review outstanding orders and stock availability where applicable.
• Maintain knowledge on all open orders and their status' and provide assistance to all purchasing staff e.g. expediting and feeding information back to the relevant stakeholders.
• Able to consider the impact of the decision making process when interacting with the supply chain.
• Able to support the contract negotiations and mini competitions with suppliers.
• Monitor and order products, stock, equipment and services at appropriate times using the appropriate procurement method.
• Communicate to procurement's internal stakeholders, suppliers and other stakeholders in order to develop effective relationships and networks
• Create, maintain and amend purchase order and contract records.
• Interpret, evaluate and compare procurement information such as historical spend and usage using databases and spreadsheets.
• Present findings and data in all formats e.g. mathematically, written and oral.
• Determine value for money (VFM) and added value through the use of Total Cost of Ownership during the evaluation process, and apply the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) criteria to the evaluation of quotes and tenders to support the recommendation at award. This may include the inclusion of green, low carbon, sustainability, and ethical criteria.
• Utilise relevant Procurement computer systems or internal databases.
• Select the supplier of the most appropriate products and services for purchases within their remit and place purchase order.
• Undertake appraisal of adhoc and low spend suppliers including setting them up on the purchasing system.
• Effectively research and analyse demand, spend, trends, potential suppliers and industries utilising qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Develop specifications of requirements and requests for quotes/tenders in line with organisational requirements.
• Apply considerations of responsible procurement in evaluating potential suppliers, quotes and tenders.
• Investigate and resolve purchase order, delivery and invoice queries.
• Own low risk value projects such as supply contracts for stationery, personal protective equipment (PPE) or other consumables, and contribute to higher risk activities such as contracts for building services or machinery, and track, log, expedite and review outstanding orders and stock availability where applicable.
• Maintain knowledge on all open orders and their status' and provide assistance to all purchasing staff e.g. expediting and feeding information back to the relevant stakeholders.
• Able to consider the impact of the decision making process when interacting with the supply chain.
• Able to support the contract negotiations and mini competitions with suppliers.

Training schedule

The apprentice will work towards a Level 3 Procurement and Supply Assistant Apprenticeship Standard (or an alternative procurement apprenticeship at an appropriate level, subject to provider advice and eligibility).

They will receive a combination of workplace learning, coaching and off-the-job training. This will include developing knowledge and skills in public sector procurement, purchasing processes, supplier engagement, contract administration, commercial awareness, governance, data management and customer service.

The apprentice will be supported to apply their learning through practical work activities such as responding to procurement enquiries, obtaining quotations, supporting procurement exercises, processing purchase orders, maintaining contract records, producing reports and assisting with supplier and stakeholder communications. Progress will be reviewed regularly with the training provider and line manager.

More training information

Training will be delivered through a blend of workshops, online learning, one-to-one coaching, workplace activities and independent study. The apprentice will be given dedicated time within working hours to complete apprenticeship learning and assessment activities.

The apprentice will be supported by experienced procurement professionals within the Council's Corporate Procurement Service and will gain practical experience across a range of procurement and contract management activities. They will have opportunities to work with colleagues from different service areas, develop professional skills and build a strong understanding of how procurement supports the delivery of public services.

The successful candidate will be expected to complete all apprenticeship requirements, including coursework, workplace evidence, progress reviews and end-point assessment.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

• English (grade A - C / 4 - 9)
• Maths (grade A - C / 4 - 9)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Customer care skills
• Problem solving skills
• Administrative skills
• Number skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Initiative