ASSIGNMENT BRIEF Your company is trying to build a sustainable data centre in Wo
ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
Your company is trying to build a sustainable data centre in Worcester, UK, to help facilitate the expansion of engineering and design for local businesses, with a recognition of their need for enhanced digital infrastructure. As the procurement manager, you are to come up with a procurement plan for procuring one product, one service and one utility needed in building the data centre. Your presentation should demonstrate your ability to critically apply models of a professional procurement function in a local project environment.
Your presentation should also take note that the challenging economic factors at work in the current global supply market is generating a huge operational and economic pressure on global Supply Chains for the delivery of high quality and affordable goods, services and utilities. Using the STEEPLED Model and other appropriate academic models, consider the possible risks and benefits that might affect the procurement of the particular product, service and utility needed for the delivery of the project recognising your demand for equipment and materials supplied by manufacturers based globally including both China and the USA. Due to the local interest in the project, ensuring an analysis of ethical supply chains and compliance with sustainable legislation and best practice is also a necessity.
NOTE: your procurement plan should be for:
ONE PRODUCT: e.g laptops or any other necessary product at a data centre. Where are you sourcing from? China, USA, or any other place? Why the choice (price, quality, etc? What are the anticipated risks? What measures of mitigation or management? Any pricing advantage? Issues of child labor.
ONE SERVICE: e.g cleaning, maintenance or any other necessary service at a data centre. Where are you sourcing from? Locally or elsewhere? Why the choice (price, quality, etc? What are the anticipated risks? What measures of mitigation or management? Any pricing advantage? Which SDG goals are you trying to facilitate or support by your choice?
ONE UTILITY: e.g power supply, water supply. Where are you sourcing from? Regionally or locally? Why the choice (price, quality, etc? What are the anticipated risks? What measures of mitigation or management? Any pricing advantage? Link your choice to the fulfilment of any of the SDG goals.
The Procurement Plan should be presented as a formal document submitted to the client representative, the module tutor, and presented using Powerpoint slides as well. It is up-to you to structure the presentation slides and the report, but it is expected to include the following key elements:
• Clear set of Procurement and Contract delivery objectives
• Well-defined procurement approach and strategy
• Stakeholder engagement and project ideas explored and an evaluation mechanism
• A robust costing analysis and forecast using the Total Cost of Ownership or Through Life Costing concepts
• Clarity over the value-added contribution of the contract
• Strong business case (e.g. cost, benefit and risk analysis)
• Contract management and operational delivery structure and responsibilities
• A Procurement timeline through to Contract Award
• A forecast timeline through the contract life of the data centre
• A contract Risk Management Plan
You are expected to deliver a creative project idea to achieve clear project objectives, supported by a strong business case and a detailed and well justified plan to demonstrate robust Procurement and Contract thinking.
KEYPOINTS:
Use the appropriate Social Development Goals (4, 9, 11, 17, 8, etc) in backing your points and choices, and demonstrate how your choices help to achieve these goals.
Apply appropriate models from the 102 Models of Procurement and Supply ChainManagement Paperback – 8 Mar. 2021 by Paul Jackson & Barry Crocke
e.g
STAKEHOLDERS….Model 89
TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP…..model 20
Strengths and Weaknesses (TOWS)….model 6
Drivers of Change……model 5
Relationship…Model 71 and 74
Resource Efficiency…Model 26 and 28
Carter’s 10cs
The presentation should be no longer than 15 minutes and you are expected to produce a set of Powerpoint slides to go through during your presentation.
The tutor will be representing a client who is willing to sponsor your project and you are expected to play the role of a procurement professional looking to secure project funding and authority to proceed. There are no constraints to limit your creativity when developing your data centre project apart from a financial limit of £20million.
You are expected to deliver a creative project idea to achieve clear project objectives, supported by a strong business case and a detailed and well justified plan to demonstrate robust Procurement and Contract thinking. It is important to link your choices to relevant UN Social Development Goals (SDGs) and demonstrate how your choices help to achieve these goals.
Procurement Plan word limit: 1500 words
On the first page list the following:
• Module name and code
• Student(s) names
• Submission date
• Assignment Number/Title
Powerpoint presentation: 13 slides structured as below:
On the first page list the following:
• Module name and code
• Student(s) names
• Submission date
• Assignment Number/Title
• Introduction
• Clear set of Procurement and Contract delivery objectives
• Well-defined procurement approach and strategy
• Stakeholder engagement and project ideas explored and an evaluation mechanism
• A robust costing analysis and forecast using the Total Cost of Ownership or Through Life Costing concepts
• Clarity over the value-added contribution of the contract
• Strong business case (e.g. cost, benefit and risk analysis)
• Contract management and operational delivery structure and responsibilities
• A Procurement timeline through to Contract Award
• A forecast timeline through the contract life of the data centre
• A contract Risk Management Plan
• Conclusion
References (use the University Harvard referencing system)
SOURCES
1. Procurement principles and management in the digital age, book by Peter J. H. Baily; David H. Farmer; Barry Crocker; David Jessop 2021
2. Procurement and supply chain management. Book by Kenneth Lysons; Brian Farrington 2020
3. Procurement, principles and management. Book by Peter J. H. Baily; David H. Farmer; Barry Crocker; D. A. Jessop; David Jones 2015
4. APM body of knowledge. Book 2019
5. 102 Models of Procurement and Supply Chain Management. Book 2021
6. CIPS. Leading global excellence in procurement and supply. Website
7. Please cite relevant Procurement and Supply Chain Management articles.