1. Name of Intern : Thitipat Chansriniyom
Internship Position : Procurement Intern
Internship Department : Procurement
Internship Period : 8 May 2015 – 6 Aug 2015
Name of Supervisors : Mr. Sebastian Chua
(HOD Procurement)
Mr. Tan Tee Hin
(Senior Manager)

2. Acknowledgements
Sebastian Chua (HOD Procurement)
Tan Tee Hin (Senior Manager)
Chow Choi Lin (Senior Manager)
Chong Huey Meng (Manager)
Chan Ai Ling (Manager)
Toh Li Ying (Manager)
Samantha Chong (Manager)
Jacelyn Bai (Manager)
Amaal (Manager)
Tan Sok Wei (Manager)
Phua Liat Keong (Temp Manager)
Koh Wee Choo (Senior Executive)
Chelsea Chang (Senior Executive)
G Gangai Sri (Executive)
Rodney Sim (Temp Executive)
Arene Cheng (Senior Officer)

3. Internship Objectives
1) FY14 Spend Analysis Management
2) Procurement Savings from Mega Contracts
3) Procurement Dashboard
4) Creation of e-Catalogues
5) Supplier Business Review
6) Procurement Operation i.e. GeBIZ and CREST system
Main Projects Undertaken (in chronological order)
1) FY 14 Spend Analysis Management
2) Procurement Savings from Physical Activity and Nutrition Mega Contracts
Has the Internship Stint Met My Internship Objectives?
Yes. I was able to leverage on GeBIZ to my advantage during my day-to-day search. For an
intern with no prior procurement experience, I was glad that I could confidently “sell”
procurement to my fellow interns from other Ministries and Statutory Boards during PSD
networking. This 3-months period equipped and trained me to think critically from
procurement perspective. There are areas that I would like to explore if my internship period
were longer. For instance, I would like to sit-in when potential contractors deliver their
proposal presentation at HPB. From this, I believe I can learn how to pitch a business
proposal professionally. In addition, I want to experience how the Tender Evaluation
Committee (TEC) evaluates the bids and finally awards supplier with the highest score. These
can be new internship objectives for future interns.
Did I Receive Adequate Level of Coaching and Mentoring from My Supervisor to
Carry Out My Work?
Yes. On a typical day, I would do my work independently before consulting my supervisors
for comments. They were able to point out better ways in carrying out my work. They never
fail to set aside time to discuss our projects even if it means having to stay back late. They are
always approachable and contactable both online and offline.

4. Did I Receive the Necessary Resources Including IT and Other Materials to Carry Out
the Work?
Yes. A comprehensive Procurement Induction Package was provided promptly. The
Instruction Manual (IM) from Civil Service College (CSC) was useful in giving a bird-eye-
view of procurement management. I was given full access to all internal systems. Therefore, I
could assist my supervisors in addressing users’ queries.
What Problems Did I Encounter and How Were They Resolved?
1)I completed my FY 14 Spend Analysis Management (SAM) within my first 2-3 weeks of
the internship but I actually took about a month to understand how each division works and
how their volumes typically are i.e. how often each division calls for ITQ/ITT or any other
procurement approaches. Ironically, completing SAM too early was a problem because I was
doing it without familiarity of any portfolio. Every figure was just a number to me. As a
result, some extreme figures went unnoticed such as 35 tenders from YPS alone in FY 14.
Therefore, after presenting the figures to my supervisor, I quickly moved on with my next
project without revisiting SAM. In retrospect, I felt I could have taken the initiative to revisit
SAM especially when I finally learned that the entire ITT process takes about 2 months and
35 ITT from YPS alone definitely should raise eyebrows. Indeed, there was a computational
error which a manager pointed out later on. Immediately, I took ownership of my SAM and
informed my supervisor that I will correct the figures by next morning though it was already
6pm that day. No doubt, I brought SAM back home and revised my computational method
that night as I felt the pressure to produce an accurate SAM to provide spend visibility,
identify savings and efficiency opportunities and most importantly, Sebastian needs it to
reassign divisions to his new hires.
What Have I Learnt to Date and What Other Areas of Work Would I Like To Learn?
I familiarized myself with useful excel functions while doing SAM. I am also exposed to
compliance practices during weekly departmental meeting where complicated cases are
discussed and collective solutions are solicited.
What Are My 2 Key Learning Points?
1)Procurement is definitely more than just buying and paying for our purchases especially in
the public sector where we are under constant scrutiny. We have to strike the right balance

5. between public accountability, prudent use of public funds and operational efficiency. I
learned from Sebastian that every procurement person aims to do it proper (compliance),
cheaper (demand aggregation/whole of government), faster (mega contracts) and strategic
(helping users to achieve their commitment by improving their business models). However,
these 4 aims are usually conflicting. For instance, doing faster may contravene corporate
governance/compromise on compliance policy which has serious repercussion during AGO.
Hence, I learned that for anyone who just joins Procurement, firefighting is crucially
fundamental to set up a proper structure of legal and governance. Then we can move on to
operational efficiency, cost efficacy and forming strategic partnership. When I was present at
the Director’s meeting on 5 Aug 15, I was deeply encouraged by Mr. Zee’s (CEO) assurance
that he takes Procurement very seriously. He emphasized that Procurement should not be a
standalone department but instead, be included in the decision-making process and viewed as
strategic partners.
2)Procurement is a multi-discipline profession; a meaningful career indeed! Through working
closely with department end-users during drafting of specifications, I gained valuable
industry knowledge. For instance, the courier service specification from GRA department
taught me how this line of business operates and who are the key players in the industry.
Over a period of time, I firmly believe that every procurement staff can harness the strength
and diversity of the multi-disciplines to deliver best values to the Board. Essentially, I believe
that anyone who works in Procurement at HPB has a meaningful career; one that exposes you
to many exciting industry practices and most importantly, these knowledge are transferable
and value add to your resume.
Conclusion: What Are Some Other Possible Areas Of Improvement To Make My Stint
More Fulfilling?
Though I reviewed department end-users’ programme specifications, raised ITQ/ITT and
subsequently raised PO from AOR, these steps are just part of the bigger procurement cycle.
Instead of learning them piecemeal, it would be more comprehensive and fulfilling if an
intern can go through end-to-end procurement process i.e. first sourcing actively for suppliers
to induce competition on the incumbent, learning how campaign managers draft
specification, vetting through specification, publishing ITQ/ITT, evaluating the tenderers
during tender briefing/presentation, receiving offers from tenderers in GeBIZ, doing bid
amendment (if any) in GeBIZ, evaluating the offers with matrix scoring systems, approving

6. of award, preparing AOR with EPV/APV, raising PO from AOR, paying the invoice issued
by the contractor, managing key suppliers through Supplier Business Review (SBR). I am
confident that going through just one of this end-to-end procurement cycle (taking the intern
from the first step to the last step) can make the internship much more fulfilling.
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7. Internship Photos
From Left: Thitipat (myself) and Sebastian
From Left: Jacelyn, Arene, Tee Hin and Thitipat (myself)

8. From Left: Kiat Leong, Thitipat (myself) and Sebastian
PSD Networking Event during Learning Journey to NEA

9. From Left: Tee Hin, Gangai Sri, Jacelyn, Wee Choo, Philip, Thitipat (myself) and Sebastian
during Food Bonding Session