The document summarizes Polarcus, a marine geophysical company, undergoing a CIPS Corporate Certification assessment. The assessment identified capability gaps and improvement opportunities in Polarcus' procurement processes. It helped upskill staff and improve relationships with suppliers to ensure value for money. Polarcus saw benefits like cost savings, professional development, increased profile and competitiveness. The certification raised Polarcus' procurement function's credentials and positioned the organization better to understand its processes and tackle capability gaps.

1. • Iden fying capability
gaps and sugges ng
methods for
improvement
• Upskilling staff to a high
professional standard
• Improving rela onships
with suppliers
• Ensuring value for
money.
Highlights
The process offers a transparent
assessment of the company’s
procurement processes and has been a great insight
into what we do right and areas for improvement.
As a tool of measurement it tells us that
we are going in the right direc on.
GERARD MCGEARY, HEAD OF SUPPLY CHAIN, POLARCUS
Marine geophysical company Polarcus had
moved from being a shipbuilding company
to owning a fully opera onal fleet of
vessels. In order to nego ate the new
industry challenges the organisa on
sought interna onally recognised
accredita on in the form of CIPS
Corporate Cer fica on.
The Chartered Ins tute of Procurement &
Supply (CIPS) is the global voice of the
profession. Passionate about and 100%
focused on procurement and supply, we exist
to drive excellence in the industry in every
way we can and provide a wide range of
services for the benefit of our members and
the wider business community.
About CIPS
New horizons
in procurement excellence
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Job Title: 21229 CIPS Carllion Case Study
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2. Why CIPS Corporate Cer fica on?
The organisa on wanted to ensure its processes were being conducted in
compliance with an approved industry standard, as well as iden fying any gaps
in performance.
It also wanted to address its rela onships with suppliers, making sure they were offering value
for money and favourable terms.
• Cost savings: The Cer fica on is part of a company-wide $40m saving ini a ve
• Upskilling: Professional development via the accredita on means that all staff are now
trained to the same level
• Profile: Part of the ambi on around the Cer fica on was to move procurement to the
forefront of all of the company’s ac vi es, which they have now achieved
• Compe veness: Recogni on of its high standards of procurement ac vity has raised the
company’s standing within the industry.
The benefits
The results
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Australasia: +61 (0)3 9629 6000 •MENA: +971 (0)4 311 6505
Email: corporate.solu ons@cips.org•www.cips.org/corporate-cer fica on
CONTACT US
Polarcus is a marine geophysical
company based in Dubai, with a
fleet of six owned and two
managed vessels. The company is a
public listed company on the
Norwegian Stock Exchange and
employs 500 people.
The procurement func on at
Polarcus is central to support
opera ons. The role of the
department is to buy material and
services for its fleet of vessels,
including mari me equipment and
services, seismic equipment and
services and logis cs services
globally.
Having moved from a shipbuilding
company into a fully opera onal
fleet of vessels, Polarcus quickly
became aware of the different set
of procurement and supply
challenges they were facing and
wanted to find a pathway to
navigate these.
THE BACKGROUND
ABOUT POLARCUS
A journey of discovery highlighting
procurement efficiencies and
identifying new practices
Polarcus has undergone a procurement health check as a result of CIPS Cer fica on and is
now a lot be er posi oned in terms of understanding processes and methodologies. The
assessment has allowed the organisa on to iden fy any capability gaps, introducing new
processes to tackle these. Their mission is now to focus on the value-adding areas of the
company. The accredita on from an interna onally recognised auditor has raised their
procurement func on’s profile, both internally and externally, highligh ng their creden als in
procurement prac ces.
• Helps you to deliver
savings and value, and
drive change
• Supports you to
demonstrate your
poten al and value to
senior management
• Ensures effec ve supply
assurance and compliance
through robust governance
• Iden fies be er, more
efficient and more cost
effec ve ways of working
• Engages and empowers
your team, building
morale
• Strengthens your
rela onships with key
stakeholders.
CIPS Corporate Cer fica on Standard
Globally recognised, CIPS Corporate Cer fica on Standard is
the only independent, comprehensive procurement-specific
assessment of its kind. Examining your organisa on's
procurement and supplier management procedures in
targeted detail, it highlights where improvements and
efficiencies can be made, ensuring that procurement
becomes an essen al value driver and organisa onal
influencer.
CIPS_Polarcus_CaseStudy_A4_2pp_02.16_AW_Layout 1 04/02/2016 11:33 Page 2
Job Title: 21229 CIPS Carllion Case Study
Processed: 14:12:02 16-02-08
File Name: CIPS_Polarcus_CaseStudy_A4_2pp_02.16_AW.p2.pdf