Management Entry Route
How do I qualify? - to use MCIPS after my name
There are a number of ways to achieve MCIPS or full membership. Some require less formal study than others, depending on your existing qualifications and experience in the profession.
The Management Entry Route (MER) is one of these and if you have a senior role in procurement or supply chain management and already have some qualifications, this may be the route for you.
We need to assess your experience and competencies to ensure that you fulfil the criteria to award full membership which allows you to use the designatory letters MCIPS.
The MER involves an assessment of experience, knowledge, and responsibility by means of an online questionnaire and a telephone interview.
It is a robust, rigorous and transparent process designed for senior professionals in upper management roles, usually with at least five years’ experience at a strategic level.
Take a look at the following questions and see if you can answer “yes” to at least seven of them:
- Are you working at a senior /strategic level within purchasing?
- Do you have at least five years’ experience working at a strategic level in the profession?
- Are you responsible for a department budget and/or a category spend budget?
- Do you report to a senior management team or board?
- Are you an academic with a high level of strategic knowledge of the purchasing and supply arena?
- Are you involved in the strategic development of your organisation’s supply chain?
- Do you have direct line management responsibility and lead strategy execution?
- Do you have a significant degree of autonomy?
- Do you have a degree or a business related qualification?
- Do you have an in-depth understanding of current best practice in the purchasing and supply chain matters?
If you can then it is an indication that you could qualify for this route to MCIPS.
Next steps - I think I would qualify
First join CIPS as an Affiliate member and provide us with a copy of your CV that clearly demonstrates the extent of your experience within supply chain management and procurement, together with a copy of your current job description, organisation chart and line manager’s supporting letter. These should be sent mer@cips.org
Once these are received we will arrange for you to take the online Sourcing Knowledge Questionnaire which looks at nine technical procurement competencies. If you satisfy the benchmark then a second stage comprises of a telephone interview which will explore your expertise further in order to ensure that your knowledge and experience satisfies the benchmark for MCIPS.
You will receive a report and feedback and as long as everything satisfies the criteria then you will become a full member and be awarded MCIPS.
- CIPS receive your application for the Management Entry Route
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- You pay the initial fee of £175, we provide on-line questionnaire link within 48 hours
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- Complete the online questionnaire, and you will receive feedback within 5 working days
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- If successful you proceed to the interview stage - fee of £275. We will contact you within 14 working days to arrange a telephone interview.
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- Within 14 working days you will receive a full feedback report
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- On successful completion of all criteria you will be upgraded to full membership MCIPS
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Should the interview indicate that there gaps are against the benchmark for MCIPS, you will receive a plan to fill any perceived gaps. Your plan should take a maximum of three months to complete, it will be assessed for which there will be an additional fee. Given a successful assessment, you will then be upgraded to MCIPS.
You can learn more about the Management Entry Route here.