Procurement Support Apprentice
Wokingham Borough Council
Berkshire (RG40 1BN)
Closes in 24 days (Sunday 26 October 2025)
Posted on 1 October 2025
Contents
Summary
The successful candidate will undertake the Level 3 Procurement and Supply Assistant apprenticeship. You will need to be confident using Microsoft Office and willing to learn new procurement systems. You should be an excellent communicator, self-motivated with a positive outlook, and have strong attention to detail.
- Wage
-
£24,413 a year
- Training course
- Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 1 December 2025
- Duration
-
1 year 6 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
- Assist with the procurement of goods, services, and works in accordance with the Council’s procurement policies and procedures
- Assist in maintaining accurate procurement records, ensuring the Council meets its statutory duties relation to transparency obligations in the Procurement Act
- Communicate effectively with colleagues, suppliers, and stakeholders in clear and professional language
- Proactively provide advice to service areas in delivering the Council’s Procurement pipeline and make recommendations to enhance procurement processes and value for money
- Ensure procurement activities are completed accurately and in a timely manner, providing advice and guidance as required
- Maintain a good understanding of procurement legislation and applicable guidelines
Where you'll work
Shute End
Wokingham
Berkshire
RG40 1BN
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
OXFORD PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION GROUP 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.
This apprenticeship is delivered online by Oxford Professional Education.
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4-9/A*-C)
- Maths (grade 4-9/A*-C)
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
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
Other requirements
Frequent Display Screen Equipment Use.
About this employer
Wokingham Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff, other workers and volunteers to share this commitment. Wokingham is an equal opportunities employer.
http://www.wokingham.gov.uk (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- Generous annual leave entitlement of 25 days (rising to 30 days after 5 years), plus Bank Holidays - local government pension scheme Employee assistance programme - Local & lifestyle discounts - Use of a free onsite gym
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
Upon successful completion apprentices may progress onto the level 4 procurement apprenticeship programme.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
Wokingham Borough Council
Clare Priest
clare.priest@wokingham.gov.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000344522.
Apply now
Closes in 24 days (Sunday 26 October 2025)
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