Organisations to join forces to support EU procurement compliance

Achilles has announced its partnership with The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) to provide their members with EU legislation guidance through THEMiS.
THEMiS is a unique online EU support package that helps procurement professionals to be compliant and aware of risks from the outset of the procurement process; this new arrangement with CIPS will give CIPS members the benefit of a 15 months membership for the price of 12 months in their first year of subscription.
THEMiS provides procurement professionals with the tools and support to help them to comply with EU regulated procurement. CIPS members signing up to THEMiS will have access to:

• Summaries of UK and European procurement court cases by leading expert Professor Sue Arrowsmith
• A knowledge-bank with a wealth of up-to-date information on the UK, Scottish and Irish Regulations, EU Directives, other nationals and international legislation
• Ask EU questions to dedicated experts in the field of EU procurement legislation through ‘Ask Achilles’ function answered by our advisors Glenn Fletcher, Steve Kay or Liz Wilson Lamb
• Send notices to the OJEU through THEMIS, with help provided for every field to make submission faster and less expensive

THEMiS is already used by over 500 organisations, including utility companies and also public and private sector organisations in the UK and Ireland – many of whom are CIPS members.

THEMiS members tell us:
"The Achilles service is the ultimate one-stop shop for procurement – from advice on EU procurement law right through to full OJEU management. Achilles is equivalent to the EU procurement manual you always wanted but never had." Paul Timmins, Staffordshire County Council
"THEMiS provides us with authoritative and up to date advice on this complex area of law. We find it helps us to comply with the law without losing commercial advantage." Tim Burton, Loughborough University
"Achilles has provided an excellent support service for Belfast City Council over a number of years providing advice and guidance." Valerie Cupples, Belfast City Council.

Colin Maund, CEO of Achilles commented, "CIPS’ endorsement of THEMiS, by making it available to their members, is really important to us. The number of cases of companies being taken to court because of non-compliance is on the rise and these challenges can cause unnecessary costs and delay to projects. It is often the case that it is only after legislation becomes law that organisations think about planning to meet compliance. However purchasing and supply management professionals need to be aware of forthcoming, as well as current, legislation so they can take advantage of the opportunities and mitigate against risks in the supply chain."

David Noble of CIPS says. "We are keen to help our members get the most from their membership so are delighted to be offering them another resource in their procurement and supply management toolkit. EU compliance will always be high on the agenda and should be at the forefront of a professional’s mind so they’re always prepared. THEMiS is a useful resource to help our members with their EU compliance and I’m pleased to be in partnership with Achilles."

The 15 months for 12 subscription rate will be available from April 2011 for all new THEMiS members and the partnership will cover the next three years.