About CIPS, the Royal Charter, Code of Ethics and other relevant information of CIPS

The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, CIPS is firmly established as Europe's leading supply chain management body and has over 30,000 members and 13,000 students spread over more than 70 countries world-wide.

The Institute provides a wealth of services to its members, to help them both in their study and work, as well as being a leading body in many industry and education sector groups.

Its corporate members are recognised internationally by supply chain professionals as possessing one of the benchmark qualifications in their field.

Once you have completed the Professional Stage of the Graduate Diploma you can become a corporate member of CIPS.

The Institute acts as a centre of excellence for the whole profession of purchasing and supply chain management. In particular, it works:

promote and represent the profession of purchasing and supply management, demonstrating the contribution it makes to national and international prosperity
develop improved methods of purchasing and supply, promoting their use in all organisations
promote and maintain high standards of skill, ability and integrity within the profession
educate and develop the skills of individuals, ensuring relevant testing to demonstrate competence at appropriate grades within the profession
promote the value of membership of the Institute

The profession itself is increasingly recognised for the enormous contribution it can make to public and private sector organisations, in terms of value extracted for money spent, and CIPS is pre-eminently well equipped to represent and serve the interests of all those involved in this rapidly developing field. Besides the recognition of professional status that membership bestows, involvement in the work of CIPS allows its members to keep up to date with latest developments through a comprehensive range of courses, conferences and publications. Advice, both from the Institute's staff and through membership contact, is widely available.

CIPS exists to promote and develop high standards of professional skill, ability and integrity among all those engaged in purchasing and supply chain management.

In 1992, CIPS was awarded a Royal Charter in recognition of its leading role in the purchasing and supply profession.

The Royal Charter defines the objectives of CIPS as:

To promote and develop for the public benefit the art and science of purchasing and supply and to encourage the promotion and development of improved methods of purchasing and supply in all organisations;
To promote and maintain for the benefit of the public high standards of professional skill, ability and integrity among all those engaged in purchasing and supply;
To educate persons engaged in the practice of purchasing and supply and by means of examination and other methods of assessment to test the skill and knowledge of persons desiring to enter the Institute.

1. Members of the Institute undertake to work to exceed the expectations of the following Code and will regard the Code as the basis of best conduct in the Purchasing and Supply profession.

2. Members should seek the commitment of their employer to the Code and seek to achieve widespread acceptance of it amongst their fellow employees.

3. Members should raise any matter of concern of an ethical nature with their immediate supervisor or another senior colleague if appropriate, irrespective of whether it is explicitly addressed in the Code.

4. Members shall always seek to uphold and enhance the standing of the Purchasing and Supply profession and will always act professionally and selflessly by:

maintaining the highest possible standard of integrity in all their business relationships both inside and outside the organisations where they work;
rejecting any business practice which might reasonably be deemed improper and never using their authority for personal gain;
enhancing the proficiency and stature of the profession by acquiring and maintaining current technical knowledge and the highest standards of ethical behaviour;
fostering the highest possible standards of professional competence amongst those for whom they are responsible;
optimising the use of resources which they influence and for which they are responsible to provide the maximum benefit to their employing organisation;
complying both with the letter and the spirit of:
i.the law of the country in which they practise;
ii.Institute guidance on professional practice;
iii.contractual obligations;

6. In applying these principles, members should follow the guidance set out below:

Declaration of interest - Any personal interest which may affect or be seen by others to affect a member's impartiality in any matter relevant to his or her duties should be declared.
Confidentiality and accuracy of information - The confidentiality of information received in the course of duty should be respected and should never be used for personal gain. Information given in the course of duty should be honest and clear.
Competition - The nature and length of contracts and business relationships with suppliers can vary according to circumstances. These should always be constructed to ensure deliverables and benefits. Arrangements, which might in the long term prevent the effective operation of fair competition, should be avoided.
Business gifts - Business gifts, other than items of very small intrinsic value such as business diaries or calendars, should not be accepted.
Hospitality - The recipient should not allow him or herself to be influenced or be perceived by others to have been influenced in making a business decision as a consequence of accepting hospitality. The frequency and scale of hospitality accepted should be managed openly and with care and should not be greater than the member's employer is able to reciprocate.

7. When it is not easy to decide between what is and is not acceptable, advice should be sought from the member's supervisor, another senior colleague or the Institute as appropriate. Advice on any aspect of the Code is available from the Institute.

All CIPS members enjoy a number of benefits which are provided under the following headings:

Support in your job - products which will help you in the day-to-day activities at work, including:

Main Benefits

Support in your career - career management advice and job opportunities

Main Benefits

Augmented personal benefits - a range of business and leisure services available at specially discounted rates for all CIPS members:

Best Western Hotels 10% discount on standard room rates. Call 08457 737373 quoting XX800 for CIPS.

Britannia Rescue 10% discount on all levels of cover. Call free on 0800 591 563 quoting your CIPS membership number.

BUPA up to 10% off the cost of BUPACare. Call free on 0800 600 500 quoting ref. 9417. Lines open 8am-10pm, every day.

Chiumento Consulting Group £45 for first meeting (free if unemployed). Call 01865 882100 quoting your CIPS membership number or click ---here--- [New window]

MBNA Credit Card introductory 9.9% APR for six months, no annual fee. Call free on 0800 776 262 quoting ref BU01.

Royal Over-Seas League 50% discount on entrance fee, reduced annual subscription. Call 0171 408 0214 quoting your CIPS membership number.

Representing your interests - using the breadth of membership of the Institute to:

The Institute’s Council has set up a Panel to recommend members for CIPS awards and, if appropriate, for national honours. The Panel’s role is to identify members who deserve special recognition for outstanding service to the Institute and to the profession.

Panel Chairman Kim Godwin said: ‘Many members give an enormous amount of time and expertise to supporting the Institute and promoting the profession. CIPS could not succeed without them but CIPS don’t always give them the recognition they deserve. Most of us can probably think of someone whose contribution far exceeds what CIPS could reasonably expect from an unpaid volunteer. This new scheme, which brings together existing awards and adds some new ones to the portfolio, gives them a way to thank them for their efforts. At the same time we can bring to public attention the value these individuals bring to their organisations and the wider community.’

Awards within the Panel’s remit include the prestigious Meritorious Service Award and the Swinbank Medal. In exceptional circumstances, the Panel may decide to recommend an outstanding candidate for a national honour, such as an MBE. ‘We expect we will only rarely come across someone who meets the criteria for a national honour’ said Mr Godwin. ‘Thousands of nominations are sent in for the honours lists each year and we will need to have a very special nominee to stand a chance of success. Nevertheless, we believe it is important we have a mechanism for identifying and putting forward just such a person.’

The Panel is inviting members of all grades and nationalities to nominate another member (or, in exceptional cases, a non-member) who they think merits recognition. Nominations will be assessed and the Panel will decide whether to make an award and what that award should be. Mr Godwin added ‘We will be looking for someone who stands out from the crowd and who has achieved something above and beyond the usual level of service. Nominations should focus on those special achievements.’

To make it easier to put a nomination together, the Panel has devised a short form for sponsors to use. It comes with advice on the kind of information the Panel will be looking for and can be obtained by contacting Margaret West-Burnham at Easton House. Closing date for completed nominations for this year is 31 October.

The Institute has at its disposal an impressive range of expertise, experience and intellectual resources. To make these resources available in the most cost-effective way, a range of services are available.

Our Professional Practice Team has access to a wide range of sources, including:

All the information is stored on an in-house database to assist in handling enquiries relating to the activities of companies in the UK and other member states of the EU. CIPS maintains a close interest in research activities in purchasing and supply both in the UK and elsewhere, and produce surveys of research programmes and publications.

Topic Reference Files

The Institute publishes a series of Reference Files, providing up-to-date information on the major supply chain management issues. Each File contains the following:

The above information is available to Students and Members thorough the CIPS Login area.

The CIPS Legal Committee has produced a model set of terms and conditions intended primarily for use in Intellectual Property contracts. However they would also be suitable for contracts for the supply of goods and/or services. Care should be taken in preparing a contract containing all or any of these clauses that they are compatible with the remainder of the contract.

These clauses are the copyright of The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply which licenses its members to use them in support of their employment.

The Institute seeks continuous improvement and members are invited to comment upon these model terms and conditions through the Members' Forum on this site.

Students and Members may also download the whole document. Hard copies are available from the CIPS Bookshop priced £4.95 for CIPS members and £12.95 for non-members.

The International Logistics Abstracts, published every two months by the National Materials Handling Centre, contain abstracts and summaries of research papers, articles and reports dealing with a wide range of purchasing and supply management topics providing readers with the salient points of each article so that they may conveniently assess its relevance to their specific needs.