UK Central Government spends approximately £300bn per annum on goods and services, half of which comes via a small number of providers. The Crown Representative Programme (CRP) was launched to help the Government act as a single customer to deliver value for money to the taxpayer. The Crown Representatives have transformed the way Government engages with its key 39 strategic suppliers, receiving positive feedback from industry as well as securing significant cost reductions.

Building a strong Commercial Function in Government, and with it the right commercial capability, is at the heart of a far-reaching programme of Civil Service Reform.

Each Crown Representative leads either the strategic relationship with a number of suppliers, or a sector specialism, to secure better value for taxpayers and improve the way services are delivered. New procurement rules mean that any contract larger than £10m has to be signed off by the Minister for the Cabinet Office who will look for guidance from the Crown Representative before agreeing any work.

Crown Representatives help the government to act as a single customer. They work across departments to:

• Ensure that a single and strategic view of the government’s needs is communicated to strategic suppliers
• Engage on areas of service improvement, risk management and cost efficiency
• Act as a point of focus for cross-cutting supplier-related issues
• Mostly focus on individual key strategic suppliers, with a few covering cross-supplier sources of service provision including small and medium enterprises, voluntary sector organisations, and mutually-owned organisations

The primary responsibilities of the Crown Representatives are to:

• Provide leadership and guidance, on behalf of the Crown, on the overall relationship between HM Government and a small number of strategic suppliers, each of whom have substantial commercial relationships with Government and are typically involved in the most complex programmes across Whitehall
• Proactively identify opportunities for Government to secure better value from existing relationships as well as helping shape new commercial agreements
• Help drive improved delivery of key HM Government policies through strategic suppliers and their supply chains
• Advise Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and the Chief Commercial Officer on all aspects of Government’s engagement with these suppliers including specific advice on all material new contracts likely to involve the supplier. The Crown Representative will also feed into the negotiation / procurement process involving these suppliers, supporting the wider Expenditure Control process
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the ‘pipeline’ of future Government business which suppliers are potentially / actually bidding for across Government and develop insight into the risk/opportunity profiles associated with this
• Working closely with departments, contribute to, and where appropriate and necessary, lead the management and resolution of significant contractual disputes between departments and strategic suppliers
• Maintain a strong understanding of the supplier’s ongoing financial standing and support the assessment and management of any risk in the supplier's ability to supply goods or services to HM Government

Attendance of the Crown Representatives is required at the Commercial Relationships Board (CRB) which is held every six weeks to opine on developments with the Strategic Suppliers or Sectors and the Programme in general.

Additionally, the Crown Representative may contribute to the development of new entrants to existing markets where disrupting the status quo may deliver better value and more.

These are multifaceted roles which require extremely experienced individuals committed to leading the relationship with Government’s key suppliers. Successful candidates will have a track record of delivering effective change at the most senior levels. 

Essential skills and experience:

• A commercial mindset with strong business acumen acquired via a senior track record in the private sector 
• Proven strategic and analytical skills with the ability to identify both issues and opportunities, and provide workable solutions
• Proficient negotiation skills up to and including board-level commercial interactions
• The gravitas to influence at board level, yet equally have the demonstrable ability to drive effective change at an operational level
• Excellent stakeholder management, networking and, as such, communication skills
• The ability to foster and develop long-term commercial relationships

Terms and Conditions

• The time commitment of existing Crown Representatives is approximately one to two days per week. Existing commitments are taken into account and allowances can be made accordingly where feasible.
• The compensation is on a per diem basis, with fees of £500 a day. Reasonable expenses are covered. The role entails 20 days annual leave.
• Appointments are generally made on a 12-month rolling contract
• Crown Representatives are not normally expected to hold any single supplier relationship for more than six (6) years.
• The appropriate support for diary management and information provision is given to each Crown Representative.
• The majority of meetings are expected to be held in London.