Darrell Benstead

Darrell Benstead
JOB Senior project procurement manager
EMPLOYER CB&I UK Ltd
DEGREE CIPS (1989)
UNIVERSITY Thames Valley University

My company executes its procurement services through a central team in London. I ensure all activities such as purchasing, quality control, material control, logistics and subcontracts, are delivered within budget and to schedule. The entire process is managed by an integrated electronic project management system and one of my key roles is to plan, allocate and monitor the procurement activities in the system.

Previous roles

I started as a trainee buyer and worked towards the professional qualification with the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. I progressed to a buyer, then principal buyer, followed by purchasing supervisor. I gained experience in roles such as corporate purchasing, learning how a department is managed. The step to project procurement manager was the most difficult as it required knowledge of how other disciplines – control, subcontracts and logistics, interact in the procurement process.

Most exciting project

My most exciting project was working on a UK offshore riser platform for BP. The clients maximised the project team’s performance by creating a challenging and enjoyable work environment. We developed strong working relationships and all worked to together to meet deadlines and solve problems efficiently.

The highs

My experience has taught me how to be proactive to prevent problems before they occur.

The lows

A key part of this role is tracking workloads and suppliers’ capacities. Procurement is made difficult if this information is not considered when key strategic decisions are made.