The Supply Chain, Operations and Procurement Excellence (SCOPE) research group focuses upon practice-based research in conjunction with public, private and third sector partner organisations.
Group members address management and societal challenges using a wide range of research methods and embed this knowledge directly into our specialist degrees and courses.
SCOPE is concerned with addressing the nascent and perennial challenges in three key areas of Supply Chain Management, Operations Management and Procurement.
Public and Private Sector procurement spend is a subject of perennial concern, and one that has been exacerbated in an era of post-austerity economics. Wales is the lowest performing economy in the UK and the work presented here with public and private sector organisations has comprised a range of interventions to improve the effectiveness of procurement and thereby directly contribute to its economic well-being.
It has initiated policy and practice changes within the Welsh Government to advertise all public sector contracts over £25,000 on the portal Sell2Wales. In 2013 this resulted in a 100% increase in SME involvement in bidding for public sector work and a 400% improvement in their success in winning contracts.
Our resulting Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Cardiff Council (completed 2014) delivered over £40 million reduction in public sector procurement spend through the implementation of Category Management.
Transferring our procurement expertise into the private sector, through the world’s first Enhanced Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Airbus (completed 2016), the implementation of Category Management generated savings of over €35 million.
The knowledge gained through these endeavours has been shared across other Local Authorities in Wales, with academic and governmental agencies in other countries, and through our educational provision as Wales’ only ‘Centre of Excellence’ for the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS).
We welcome UK and international applications from suitably qualified graduates interested in joining us for postgraduate research.
BSc Logistics Procurement and Supply Chain Management
MSc Strategic Procurement Management
MSc International Logistics and Supply Chain Management
