A Letter from Paul Davies.

Dear Applicant

Defining the essence of 'Excellence'

Thank you for your interest in working for the London Borough of Croydon. Let me give you an insight to what you could expect if you worked for the "largest borough in the world", a bold statement you might say, but one that fully describes our opportunities and our challenges and the scale of the environment you will enjoy. There's no better place to be right now than Croydon.

We have a population of about 400,000, spending over £340 million on supplies and services and employing more than 10,000 staff. Croydon is a complex borough with many of our communities facing problems common to Britain's most deprived areas. It has a diverse tapestry of demographics, presenting challenges across the social and economic spectrum. These dynamics demand world class procurement services. You could be part of a team that will define excellence and will contribute to defining world class procurement services and performance across the Council.

Croydon has for the last three years strengthened its overall procurement position, our challenges have been well documented and our track record is one of a good solid organisation. Many improvements have been made and much has been achieved - our base camp has been established at one of the highest levels, we are now gathering for our journey to the summit - the achievement of excellence.

We have achieved many commendations over recent years, and a good number which represent the very best in the public sector. We were short listed and in the top 3 nationally for the "Outstanding Procurement Achievement" in November 2006 by the Society of Procurement Officers. We are a 'four star' when it comes to procurement services, a position we have worked very hard to achieve and now aiming to become a centre of Excellence.

These achievements to date are impressive and should not be under estimated, the secret of our success has been the caliber of our staff through their dedication, hard work commitment and creativity and you can be sure that you will be joining a innovative and forward thinking team and delivering value added and cutting edge procurement services.
Together we have achieved much. However there is now an even harder journey to ensure all our services are excellent and to maintain a reputation for being the best practice services leader in local government procurement. Croydon wants to continue to build a culture based on innovation and creativity while demonstrating the core values of sound procurement and contract management.

If you are proactive and want to make that journey from good to excellent then a career at Croydon is the place for you. We look forward to being with you at the summit.

Paul Davies
Head of Procurement