Buying & Procurement Apprentice
THE SOURCING TEAM LTD
WALLINGTON (SM6 8ND)
Closes in 14 days (Wednesday 27 August 2025 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 13 August 2025
Contents
Summary
Brilliant early-career role for someone wanting to kickstart a career in procurement. You will gain broad skills across buying, working with suppliers, order management, logistics & delivery, invoicing and payments. The Sourcing Team sources ethical & sustainable promotional merchandise for some of the UK’s Europe leading organisations.
- Wage
-
£16,500 a year
- Training course
- Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30am with half hour lunch break. Office based role in South London. With four days’ work and one day studying for apprenticeship.
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 30 September 2025
- Duration
-
1 year 7 months
- 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
You will work as part of our team on product solutions for our clients, sourcing products from across the UK and Europe and learn and build the skills to:
- Effectively use all aspects of our Order Management System (OMS)
- Understand our suppliers and their products
- Be able to use the various supplier platforms
- Prepare PowerPoint documents for client presentations
- Understand how we use branding and client logos
- Organise product samples, keep records and log into OMS
- Logistics around the best shipping methods for each order
- Book deliveries, track and record proof or deliver and update clients
- Checking purchase invoices against OMS to make sure the correct quantity and costs
- Database entry and updating and requesting of supplier/product information
- Take incoming calls in a professional way and connect with the relevant team member
Additionally, to build on our sustainable credentials, to learn more about what makes products sustainable, learning about product accreditations across production, materials and product end-of-life options and much more.
And finally, working with the team on our e-commerce platforms run on behalf of our clients, where you will help build product ranges and we then promote these ranges to various client groups.
Where you'll work
8 THE PARADE
STAFFORD ROAD
WALLINGTON
SM6 8ND
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
- Training will be a combination of on-the-job and off-the-job
- The off-the-job element will include classroom-style learning and revision days as well as one-to-one tutor sessions
- Study guides, eBooks and eLearning will be provided
- On successful completion of the apprenticeship, individuals will have achieved the CIPS Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Procurement & Supply, a globally recognised qualification
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade Grade/Level 5 or above)
- Maths (grade Grade/Level 5 or above)
Desirable qualifications
A Level 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
- Logical
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Curious mindset
About this employer
The Sourcing Team source ethical and sustainable promotional merchandise for some of the UK’s Europe leading organisations. We partner with Leaderpromos, a top US promotional merchandise agency of over 120 professionals based around the globe. This partnership brings together two companies, both focused on sustainability, with a likeminded vision, to create purpose driven merchandise. Both companies the coveted B Corporation status. We also hold EcoVadis Platinum award and ISO 14001 and 9001.
After this apprenticeship
Throughout the period of your apprenticeship, you will have the opportunity to build a very wide range of skills and get involved in all areas of the business. At the end of your apprenticeship, there will be opportunities to specialise in buying and procurement and move on to the next level of CIPS qualifications.
Alternatively, you may decide you would like to focus on Project Management, Client Development or E Commerce roles at The Sourcing Team.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
CIPS CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED
Annette Thurgood
annettethurgood@sourcing.co.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000336869.
Apply now
Closes in 14 days (Wednesday 27 August 2025 at 11:59pm)
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