Professional Assessment Scheme (PAS)
Achieve MCIPS in one year* with PAS
The Professional Assessment Scheme (PAS) is an alternative route to MCIPS and provides an opportunity for experienced practitioners to undergo a less academic form of assessment which, upon successful completion will ultimately lead to achieving full membership (MCIPS). There are no formal examinations; instead assessment is based on practical procurement experience and some theoretical knowledge and understanding.
All routes to MCIPS are equally robust and the MCIPS standard remains consistent, but PAS is designed to enable middle and senior managers to link their day to day practitioner activities and experience to current and emerging theory.
* MCIPS by the PAS route can take between 9 and 18 months.
Comments from those on the PAS route:
Daniel Cato - Global Sourcing Director, Cato Packaging & Distribution"The decision to study towards MCIPS via the PAS route has provided me with a great opportunity to supplement my professional experience with the highly relevant practical and theoretical knowledge I continue to attain as I progress through the course curriculum. Studying in my own time, at my own pace, means I can build my knowledge base around the ever increasing demands of my job."
Sarah Collins - Procurement Manager, The University of Sydney"The PAS route towards achieving MCIPS has allowed me the flexibility to work at my own pace, whilst leveraging experiences and learnings from my procurement career to date. This not only allowed me to critically reflect on what I would have done the same or differently, but also to directly link my learnings to my current role and how I have applied these. For the units I have completed to date, it was not until this reflection that I fully appreciated the influence these specific incidents had on my core procurement competencies, as at the time I was too caught up in the detail of the incidents to recognise the learning experience they took me on.”
Eligibility Criteria
All potential candidates need to go through a preliminary assessment before being accepted onto the PAS route to MCIPS. The minimum entry criteria for PAS which must be validated are:
- Total of 8 years experience in procurement
- 5 years functional and line management at middle or senior level management
- Curriculum Vitae / background overview for the last 8 years
- Job description
- Organisational Chart
Once accepted onto PAS, a candidate will be registered as a CIPSA Diploma member whilst they are working through the programme. A candidate must complete a total of eight units by presenting an individual submission for each of the units (‘essays’ about themselves). The aim of the portfolio is to describe a Professional Critical Incident (PCI) directly linked to a PAS unit. On successful completion of the eight unit submissions, the candidate will need to produce a Reflective Learning Statement of their experience, which is not assessed, to be reviewed by the interview panel. Click here to view an example of a PAS Unit Submission. Click here to view an example of PAS results and feeback from our assessors. The final stage of the process is an interview by a panel of practitioners which could either be a conference call or face-to-face.
See the overview of the PAS route to MCIPS flow chart here
For more information please contact the CIPSA Education Manager
What is a Professional Critical Incident (PCI)?
This is the practical core of the PAS Unit submission. A Professional Critical Incident is something that has happened in the workplace, which provided the candidate with an opportunity to think about
what they did and why they did it, i.e. to critically reflect on what has happened. This reflection may have resulted in changes and improvements in their professional behaviour. The incident should be
significant to them and should have happened in the last five years. Candidates should be able to directly relate the Professional Critical Incident to at least six outcomes of effective performance within the selected PAS unit.
It should be noted that it is expected that a candidate is likely to use a different Professional Critical Incident for each PAS unit submitted, given the diversity of the PAS unit content. However, candidates will not be penalised if the same PCI is used providing it fulfils the criteria needed.
It is essential that the candidate must identify the PAS Units they feel they are most able to provide evidence of experience for and think about the incident they are going to describe that demonstrates that experience.
Put simply, each PCI is an ‘essay’ on the professional experience of an individual candidate. It is a way to demonstrate one’s own learnings from their experiences.
What are the PAS Units?
Mandatory units for the PAS route to MCIPS
Candidates must achieve all of the units listed below:
Option units for the PAS route to MCIPS
Candidates must select four units from the nine units listed below:
All relevant PAS forms are available here:
See the overview of the PAS route to MCIPS flow chart here
Click here to view commonly asked questions & answers
For more information please contact the CIPSA Education Manager