Apprentice Procurement Assistant
ELECTORAL COMMISSION
LONDON (EC1Y 8YZ)
Closes in 12 days (Tuesday 12 August 2025)
Posted on 29 July 2025
Contents
Summary
Join the Electoral Commission as an Apprentice Procurement Assistant and take your first step into a professional career in procurement. You’ll gain hands-on experience working with our experienced team while studying towards a CIPS Level 3. This role is based in our London office with structured mentoring and a supportive learning environment.
- Wage
-
£25,963.20 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
£312 annual homeworking allowance
- Training course
- Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday 9am - 4:30pm, 36-hours per week (4-days in the office, 1-study day)
36 hours a week
- Start date
-
Sunday 31 August 2025
- Duration
-
2 years
- Positions available
-
1
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
- Help prepare and manage procurement documentation in line with the Procurement Act 2023
- Assist with stakeholder engagement and communication with suppliers
- Learn how to evaluate bids, manage risk, and uphold governance standards
- Support contract handovers and maintain accurate procurement records
- Participate in team activities and contribute to planning and reporting
You’ll spend one day each week studying towards a CIPS Level 3 or 4 qualification, with structured on-the-job learning and mentoring to help you apply your knowledge in real time.
Where you'll work
3 BUNHILL ROW
LONDON
EC1Y 8YZ
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
CIPS CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED
Training course
Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
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
Procurement and Supply Assistant level 3.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Number skills
- Team working
- Initiative
Other requirements
Passing a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check Not be politically active, campaigning or lobbying Not have studied at Level 4 previously UK National
About this employer
We are the Electoral Commission – the UK’s independent body overseeing elections and regulating political finance. We work to safeguard trust in the democratic process.
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Fully funded CIPS Level 3 28 days annual leave + bank holidays Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme (28.97% employer contribution) Eye care vouchers, Ride 2 Work scheme Sell up to 5 days annual leave
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
On successful completion of your apprenticeship, you may have the opportunity to apply for permanent roles at the Commission or elsewhere in the public sector. The skills and qualifications gained are widely recognised across UK government and beyond.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Mohamed Ahamed
procurement@electoralcommission.org.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000334258.
Apply now
Closes in 12 days (Tuesday 12 August 2025)
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