Government Procurement Graduate Scheme (GPGS) wins award

In 2009 GPGS logged an incredible 267% increase in applications compared to the GPGS 2008 campaign.  In recognition of this achievement the GPGS won a Public Sector People Managers Association (PPMA) award in April 2009 for 'Best work for improving the intake of Graduates/Trainees/Apprentices to the Public Sector' beating strong entries from Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

Two years of hard work

What is the best way of attracting new talent? How can Government procurement be shown to be a fulfilling career choice?  These were some of the burning questions facing OGC in early 2007 following publication of a HM Treasury report which highlighted that Government needed to increase procurement capacity by recruiting high calibre people to the profession.  The Government Procurement Service (GPS) division in OGC took the lead and the Government Procurement Graduate Scheme (GPGS) was born.

That was three years ago. Since then 42 graduates have been recruited to the scheme and are working across 12 central Government departments and agencies.  In 2009 GPGS logged an incredible 267% increase in applications compared to the GPGS 2008 campaign (a rise from 138 applications last year, to over 500 applications in 2009). 

Raising the profile of the procurement profession

GPGS is not only helping to increase procurement capacity; the steep increase in interest shows that it is raising the profile of the procurement profession too and is now seen as offering an exciting and rewarding career path that people actively choose rather than "fall into".  This sentiment was reflected in the strap line for the GPGS recruitment campaign: "No one does procurement on quite the same scale".  The feedback from our GPGS graduates is encouraging. Some have enjoyed the experience so much that they have worked with us to raise awareness about the scheme within their own Departments!