Client Overview

The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) is a globally recognised professional body, setting the standards for procurement and supply management excellence. Over the past 16 years, PSP has been a strategic partner to CIPS, providing a range of outsourced roles and services to support their digital transformation and operational efficiency. This long-standing partnership has seen PSP serve as an integral part of CIPS’ IT leadership, ensuring their technology infrastructure is robust, secure and aligned with their business objectives.

Challenge

As CIPS continued to grow and expand globally, managing their complex IT landscape required more than just technical support—it needed strategic oversight, efficient supplier management and a focus on leveraging technology to drive business growth. CIPS required a partner who could not only oversee the day-to-day management of their internal ICT teams and third-party suppliers, but also develop long-term technology strategies that would support their evolving needs. This included enhancing their cyber security posture, building a reliable disaster recovery plan and executing multi-million-pound ICT projects to upgrade their global systems.

Solution

PSP provided CIPS with a dedicated outsourced Chief Technology Officer (CTO), delivering high-level IT leadership and strategic guidance. Our CTO took charge of managing CIPS’s internal IT teams and third-party suppliers, ensuring that all projects and daily operations were aligned with the organisation’s overarching goals. This included overseeing recruitment efforts to build a skilled ICT team and managing key technology partners to maintain smooth service delivery.

A critical part of our role was the development and implementation of CIPS’s cyber security and disaster recovery strategies, which ensured that the organisation was well-prepared to respond to potential threats and disruptions. We worked closely with senior stakeholders to identify risks, establish security protocols and create a robust disaster recovery plan that protected critical systems and data.

In addition, PSP managed several large-scale projects, including the successful implementation of a new global finance system that integrated seamlessly with CIPS’s existing platforms. Our CTO also played a pivotal role in establishing CIPS’s internal data team, providing the foundation for a data-driven culture within the organisation. This team now uses analytics and insights to support key business decisions, helping CIPS optimise operations and better understand their membership and global impact.

Results

For over 16 years, PSP’s strategic support has been instrumental in shaping CIPS’s IT landscape, driving significant improvements in both operational efficiency and business outcomes. With a clear and focused technology strategy in place, CIPS has been able to execute complex projects, such as their global finance system implementation, with confidence and precision. The establishment of an internal data team has empowered CIPS to harness the value of their data, using insights to refine their services and make more informed decisions. Additionally, our ongoing management of their cyber security and disaster recovery strategies has strengthened CIPS’s ability to protect and sustain their operations across a global network.

Conclusion

PSP’s long-term partnership with CIPS exemplifies the impact of consistent, high-level IT leadership on an organisation’s success. By serving as a trusted advisor and active board member, PSP has helped CIPS shape their technology strategy, optimise IT investments and build a resilient digital infrastructure that supports their strategic goals. Our role as an outsourced CTO has provided CIPS with the strategic foresight and operational stability needed to navigate the complexities of a global organisation, ensuring they continue to lead in the procurement and supply management field.