The use of bespoke systems and commercial off-the-shelf systems (COTS) and workflows to enable organisations to improve control of expenditure with suppliers

Critically evaluate opportunities for the development of systems or procurement of commercial off-the-shelf systems (COTS) to enable organisations to improve control of expenditure with suppliers

The use of database systems, data centres and data warehousing for procurement and supply chain management

Investigate opportunities for the development of database systems, data centres and data warehousing used in procurement and supply chain management and make recommendations to colleagues and stakeholders

The development of big data analytics to assist decision making

Assess opportunities to develop and make use of big data analytics to improve supply chain planning, forecasting and control

Contemporary enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other procurement systems and business transformation projects, and their impact on procurement and supply chain management and the wider organisation

Critically evaluate the capabilities and application of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other procurement systems, databases and business transformation projects for procurement and supply chain activities, and make recommendations to senior managers on their selection, development and implementation

The impact of P2P (Purchase to Pay) systems used in procurement and supply chain management

Maximise the use of P2P (Purchase to Pay) systems and make recommendations to senior managers on the development and use of touchless transactions

Developments in systems technologies such as:

• Intranets and extranets
• Data centre management
• Cloud computing
• Open source software
• Convergence of technology platforms
• Mobile communications
• Remote working
• Video conferencing and collaboration tools
• Artificial intelligence (AI)

Critically assess improvements that can be made to integrate both internal technologies and systems across supply chains through data integration and make recommendations to colleagues and other stakeholders

The use of integration tools and blockchain technology to improve supply chain management

Critically assess improvements that can be made to integrate both internal systems and systems across supply chains through data integration or blockchain technology and make recommendations to colleagues and other stakeholders

The development of business continuity plans to mitigate interruptions in the supply chain

Work with key stakeholders to assess the business continuity plans created by key suppliers and provide advice on potential improvements that can be made