GOVERNMENT COMMERCIAL ORGANISATIONLearning and Development offer for senior commercial professionals

Government Commercial Function4

Foreword from Government Chief Commerical Offi cer

Commercial staff play a vital role in delivering the priorities of the government. Across government, around £44 billion is spent each year through the provision of contracts for vital goods and services. It is important that we plan for the contractual needs of government, source the right suppliers to meet those needs, and then manage the resulting contracts to get the quality of service we need and the best value for money. This means having a world class commercial function. That is why strengthening our commercial capability is one of the top three management priorities for the Civil Service.

We have set up the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO) to address these needs.

“We want all staff in the Government Commercial Organisation to be able to deliver their best.”That means if you are not yet fully accredited, or wish to prepare for accreditation at a more senior specialist level, we want to do all we can to help you. But it’s about more than accreditation. Learning and development should be a career-long commitment so that you keep up with advances in your profession and continue to improve . For those reasons, this brochure should be of interest to all senior commercial staff in government.

Meeting the challenges faced in commercial

The provision of public services grows more complex and demanding year by year. New service models emerge driven by changes in technology, lessons from what works, and rising public expectations. These may require collaboration between multiple public organisations and will often require commercial input. When commercial staff with the right skills are involved at the right time and in the right way, they make a massive diff erence to the quality of the services and projects delivered by government. There are many great examples of this.

At the same time, the way the government contracts with the commercial sector is under constant scrutiny from Parliament and the media. Weaknesses in commercial practice have resulted in highly critical reports by the National Audit Offi ce and Public Accounts Committee, as well as negative media headlines. At a time like this, there has never been a greater need for highly skilled and eff ective commercial staff who are able to develop contracting arrangements in a complex and changing environment, under the weight of constant scrutiny.

That is why we have developed a multifaceted learning and development programme for senior government commercial staff . The off er includes identifying learning and development needs, and a programme that can be tailored to meet the needs of each participant, delivered through a mixture of intensive training days, coaching support, on-the-job development, senior speaker events, and involvement in online communities.

Gareth Rhys Williams

Government Chief Commerical Offi cer

GCO Development Off er for Senior Commercial Professionals 5

“The successes of the services we provide can have a profound impact on both the well-being of an individual and the prosperity and security of the whole country. A common theme in many of the success stories is getting the right commercial contracts in place and then managing these contracts very well. The way we do this can make the diff erence between the success and failure of vital services or major infrastructure projects. That is why strengthening our commercial capability remains one of the top three management priorities for the Civil Service.”

Sir Jeremy HeywoodCabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service(Blog - 31 July 2017)

“Enormous value to the taxpayer can be created when government and the biggest suppliers to government come together in a strategic way. The Commercial Capability Programme advances this agenda substantially and, in so doing, provides commercial experts across government with the opportunity to gain the experience and expertise that can put them in a world class position.”

John ManzoniChief Executive of the Civil Service(Assessment and Development Centre Brochure - 2016)

Investing in you

Government Commercial Function6

Using the intelligence gleaned from the Assessment and Development Centre (ADC) on the key development needs of senior commercial staff, we have designed a programme to specifically meet those needs. Data from the ADC showed high levels of commercial technical skills with a need for more development in areas of ‘leadership skills & capability’ and ‘business acumen & commercial judgement’. The bespoke development programme focuses on these two areas.

This programme supports senior commercial professionals to:

• Lead and influence to get the right commercial outcomes

• Instill a culture of excellent commercial leadership and behaviours in your teams and working environment

• Hone your commercial acumen• Communicate with impact and confidence• Manage complexity while making the

right decisions • Build resilience and understand how to

maintain it under pressure • Enhance and maintain your network and

professional development

The programme is:

• Aligned to the ADC, but goes beyond the ADC – helping you increase your impact, influence and confidence in different situations

• Cohort based for maximum peer interaction with colleagues across government

• Practical in focus so you can hone your skills and make the changes you want to see

• Designed with flexibility to help you meet your goals

What you’ll get:

• Immersive residential workshop with overnight stay – for maximum impact and time with peers across government

• Learning through experts including Crown Representatives, Assessors, Commercial Directors

• Expert facilitation and coaching• Networking with members of the GCF senior

leadership team• Theory and case studies • Opportunity to practise on your toughest

development and leadership challenges• Feedback and support from peers and

coaches • Gain a view of what good looks like • Development Guidance and learning journal to

encourage reflection and help embed learning, set clear development goals and record your activity and progress over the course of the year

The GCO Development Programme for Senior Commercial Professionals

GCO Development Off er for Senior Commercial Professionals 7

The GCO development offer has been designed

with commercial specialists to support individual needs

‘70/ 20/ 10’ approach*70% learning ‘on the job’

20% learning through peers10% formal learning

Co-created and endorsedby commercials leaders

Crown Reps andADC Assessors

Aligned to the ADC andthe People Standards for

the Profession, but goes beyond this

Leadership is not a destination and is never "finished" - we all have

a responsibility to attend to it regularly

The offer will evolve and grow based

on feedback and ideas that you have

The opportunitiesavailable provide flexibility

to meet your individual needs

* 70% - On the job experience that enables you to put your knowledge into practice and embed learning. E.g. understanding the wider context of your team by attending strategic meetings, or refl ecting on your development in your Personal Development Plan.

20% - Learning from others by sharing knowledge and experience both formally and informally. E.g. GCO Masterclasses, Red Team Reviews, Action Learning Sets, and attending networking events.

10% - Structured courses delivered in a classroom, as distance learning, or by e-learning. E.g. Technical training via the Commercial College, and the bespoke development workshops.

The design of the GCO development off er

Government Commercial Function8

The bespoke GCO Development Programme is made up of core modules aligned to the ADC & People Standards, reinforced by peer learning and coaching.

The Programme will be mandatory for individuals working towards accreditation, and elements of it will be available to accredited individuals based on their talent conversation and personal development goals.

Module 1 focuses in on self-awareness about your leadership attributes and the relational skills needed to achieve the best commercial deals.

Module 2 focuses in on applying these skills in making complex judgments within case scenarios

i. Resilient ii. Assertiveiii. Decisiveiv. Political Insightv. Builds Relationshipvi. Coaching Manager(Attributes assessed at ADC)

i. Risk Mindset ii. Manages Complexityiii. Market Insightiv. Commercial Focusv. Decisive(Attributes assessed at ADC)

Influencing Strategies

Leadership Challenges

Psychometric Profiling

‘What good looks like’ at ADC

Case Studies

Live Scenario

‘What good looks like’ at ADC

Module 1: Insight & Leadership:

Module 2: Business Acumen & Commercial Judgment:

Each module includes:

• 2 day residential workshop expertly facilitated for a fully immersive experience - including practical sessions, group coaching, and ‘what good looks like’ session with an ADC assessor

• A networking dinner with a senior leader, with overnight stay for maximum opportunity to build a community through cohorts of peers.

• 0.5 days (min) for a Masterclass (on Political Insight for Module 1) plus further elective Masterclasses• 0.5 days (min) for group coaching on a developmental area• 2 – 4 Action Learning Sets

The Bespoke GCO Development Programme for Commercial Professionals

GCO Development Offer for Senior Commercial Professionals 9

Group Coaching sessions

• A chance to benefit from an expert coach leading a small group, focused primarily on specific module topics (e.g. influencing, coaching manager) but providing opportunity to self-select areas depending on individual development needs.

Masterclasses

• Attend an insightful session run by a Crown Representative on political insight, and then choose further sessions by commercial experts on Risk Mindset, Market Insight, Complexity and Networking.

Action Learning Sets

• Get to use a structured approach within small peer groups to share ideas, reflect on perceptions of your challenges and plan learning collectively.

Government Commercial Function10

Ongoing learning activities outside of the programme to support your learning are numerous and are open to all within the GCO.

• Masterclasses led by peers • Specific training as agreed by your line

manager, the GCO talent team & GCO L&D team

• The GCO events programme • Peer Reviews, Red Team Reviews, and

Speaker Events as advertised via the GCO Knowledge Hub: participation is strongly recommended and can be used as evidence of your development in your mid and end year reviews

• Networking online and offline with the GCF community and Knowledge Hub

• Wide range of on-the job learning (discussed with your line manager) through shadowing, participation in working groups, and participation in specific projects to develop or strengthen your skills

How to join / eligibility - for the GCO Development Programme

The bespoke GCO Development Programme is for those who have transitioned into the GCO, and have received their feedback from the ADC.

For those who are working towards accreditation (awarded B at ADC), you will receive an email from GCO L&D Team to start the enrolment process.

For those that are accredited (awarded A at ADC) the programme or parts of it may be recommended to you to support your career progression in which case eligibility is on referral and agreement via the GCO Talent Team and your line manager.

For everyone, we recommend you have a Talent Conversation and agreed development plan prior to joining the programme.

For more information on the programme, contact commercial-development@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Your Wider Opportunities within the GCO

Learning & Development Team – commercial-development@cabinetoffi ce.gov.uk

GCO Leadership Team – gcoleadership@cabinetoffi ce.gov.uk

Twitter – @GCF_Comms

Knowledge Hub GCO Development Programme area – khub.net/group/gco-development-off er

Commercial College – civilservicelearning.civilservice.gov.uk

Useful Contacts