Procurement is an important part of the University’s function and we have a dedicated team of experts responsible for ensuring Macquarie is getting value for money.

Here, we learn more about the Group Strategic Procurement team and the role of strategic procurement.

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Who are you?

We are the Group Strategic Procurement team. The team is led by Natalie Budovsky, the Chief Procurement Officer and Sergey Vznusdaev, the Senior Operations Manager, who look after the ProcureRight Desk, the service arm of the Procurement Team.

What do you do?

Procurement is a complex function that supports the business in selecting and appointing suppliers, from identification of a need to signatures on a contract. We are a team of advisors that is available to you as much or as little as you need on your procurement journey.

Procurement is not to be confused with purchasing, another important group function, that is concerned with the process of ordering, receiving and paying for goods and services.

Why do you do it? 

In support of its teaching and research objectives, Macquarie spends significant amounts of money. Good procurement ensures the University gets better value for this spending and ensures money is spent sensibly, fairly and transparently. Our role in Strategic Procurement is to ensure there is a robust procurement process in place.

We ensure that the process probity is maintained and that ICAC – the Independent Commission Against Corruption – will never knock on our door.

Given the complexity of the operating environment under which we conduct our business, we try to make procurement as simple as possible for you and we try to make it fun.

Are there any frequent misunderstandings or misconceptions about what your team does?

Procurement does not have to be difficult, confusing or daunting. We specialise in smarter procurement that goes beyond good deals to unlock value for the University by being efficient, transparent and compliant.

We will be supporting you to achieve value when addressing your procurement needs… That’s YOU to the power of Us!

What is a recent achievement you are proud of?

We have a few recent achievements that we are proud of. One – being the winner of the Procurement Excellence Award from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply. We were shortlisted alongside Australia Post and Vodafone New Zealand and won.

We are proud of ProcureRight Desk and the recently developed ContractRight, which is soon to be launched. The framework is designed to be a one-stop shop for all the tricks and tips on good contracts and commercial governance. It supplements the ProcureRight framework that the University has embraced so wholeheartedly.

What is planned for the future? Anything exciting on the horizon?

We are formally launching ProcureRight Desk this month and, to ensure a smooth roll-out, there will be a series of information sessions. Many other fun and educational activities are being planned for early 2024. ProcureRight Desk is a central procurement service providing triage, support, advice and assistance regardless of how large or small your procurement may be. From February 2024, triaging of all new procurement activities via ProcureRight Desk will be written into the policy.

The entire Strategic Procurement Team will also be available to meet and greet every Tuesday and Wednesday between 12pm and 3pm, from 7 – 23 November at 18 Wally’s Walk Level 2 East. Just drop in and say hello.

We have also just soft-launched the new ContractRight framework. It covers a broad range of topics and provides many and varied tools and references that will help you become competent and confident contract and relationship managers.

How can we engage with you? Where can we learn more?

You can find the ProcureRight Framework here on the Strategic Procurement webpage.

If you have an interest in Strategic Procurement, contact the Chief Procurement Officer, Natalie Budovsky at chiefprocurementofficer@mq.edu.au. For general enquiries, email ProcureRightDesk@mq.edu.au.