CIPS Africa has signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Pretoria earlier this year, to further professionalise the procurement and supply management profession.

The recognition was announced by the SAQA board and includes the formal registration of the MCIPS professional designation on the South African National Qualifications Framework, at NQF Level 8. This is an advance for procurement professionals in the Southern African region and in Africa as a whole. It is a necessary and timely progression after the appointment of CIPS as the professional body for supply chain management professionals in the public sector procurement by the South African National Treasury.

As a professional body, CIPS is mandated to represent the interest of the procurement practitioners and professionals, and lobby on their behalf. This includes protecting the procurement profession by maintaining and enforcing the standards of education and training and ensuring ethical conduct by its members.

“Professionalisation is about being proud of your chosen profession. It is about standards and ethics, and it is about the value that the members of our profession can add to their organisations”, commented Carin Stoltz-Urban, Head of Professional Development and Education for CIPS.

“The Department of Business Management is currently in the process of seeking accreditation from CIPS for the BCom Option: Supply Chain Management degree programme. Accreditation of the degree programme will assist graduates to obtain credits and exemptions from CIPS for studies completed at the University of Pretoria on route to obtain full membership from the institute and the prestigious MCIPS designation”, said Wesley Niemann, BCom Option: Supply Chain Management degree coordinator. The accreditation panel will pay particular attention to the content of the BCom programme, the depth and breadth of study, the teaching and learning materials used as well as assessment practices employed by the University of Pretoria.