"In terms of deepening our core competencies of Purchasing and Supply Management, IPSA as a member of the International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management (IFPSM) which has international associates in 42 countries & regions (200,000 members), teamed up in February 2005 with another member of IFPMM,  namely United Kingdom based CIPS - the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply."

 CIPS is the largest Purchasing and Supply Management institute in the world with 45,000 members, of whom 5,000 are in Africa. In 1992, CIPS was awarded a Royal Charter in recognition of its leading role it plays in continuous improvement in professional standards and raising awareness of the contribution that Purchasing and Supply Management makes to corporate, national and international prosperity. The two institutes see itself as a conduit to positioning its members to become active participants in developing Purchasing and Supply Management excellence in Africa.  The affiliation between IPSA and CIPS is based on a three-fold strategic plan centred on:

• A joint membership proposition for IPSA members (see costing below):

Dual members enjoy additional benefits, such as having access to the member-only areas of the CIPS website (linking through to professional development opportunities), receiving the "Supply Management" magazine every two weeks together with the "International Interact" member newsletter four times a year, as well as enjoying access to CIPS Professional Practice and Education help lines and email services.

• An annual joint CIPS/IPSA African Conference in South Africa:

This all-Africa joint conference on Purchasing and Supply Management held in Johannesburg in May every year is a great success story in sharing African best practices amongst members and soon-to-be members alike. We already had two such events and attendance keeps on growing in leaps and bounds every year. Our next conference is scheduled to take place during 20 - 21 May 2007 at the Emperors Palace, Johannesburg. The expectation is that some 250 - 400 officers and management in the Purchasing and Supply Management industry through out Africa will attend the conference.

During January 2006 IPSA, together with SAPICS, were instrumental in forming FSCMA, being the Federation of Supply Chain Management Associations. This is a collaborative initiative between 12 associations involved in Supply Chain Management (SCM). This was the first step towards broadening IPSA's reach into the related areas of overall Supply Chain Management (SCM), by means of working collaboratively with other associations.

The FSCMA was born from various associations agreeing on the need for alignment in terms of:

• Recognition of respective core expertise & contribution to SCM - as detailed above;
• Maximized individual membership, while contributing to people;
• Common SCM message to Members, Industry & Government;
• Development of an Integrated Skills Development Framework for SCM, including working jointly on SCM unit standards;
• Joint engagement with Industries through defined & aligned initiatives;
• Joint engagement with Government on specific focus areas, such as preferential procurement legislation.
  

The latest development in terms of broadening alliances is that IPSA and SAPICS, being The Association for Operations Management of Southern Africa, decided to harmonize its membership and rate structures, in order to give effect to numerous requests from the market, especially the Public Sector, to have similar engagement models for related services across the supply chain.  The reason for this can be found in the legislative environment in which South African public sector officials operate.

The Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) prescribes the rules for not only Procurement, but for the broader Supply Chain Management environment. The PFMA establishes an accountability chain, in terms of which the accounting officer is responsible for inputs and outputs, while the politicians are responsible for the outcomes. The government is thus moving its public service to a more business-focused environment where, within a given set of resources, heads of department (accounting officers) have the flexibility to manage their organisation in order to achieve set outputs and outcomes.  National Treasury started advocating an integrated supply chain management approach in November 2002. Approved by Cabinet in September 2003, the Regulatory Framework for Supply Chain Management (SCM), took effect on 5th December 2003.

The South African government's intension with the introduction of an integrated SCM function is to address the division between the current outdated procurement and provisioning processes in government that cause the present Public Sector system to be inefficient in its method of procurement, contract management, inventory/asset control and obsolescence planning. SCM is seen as an integral part of financial management that seeks to introduce internationally accepted best practice principles, whilst at the same time addressing government's Preferential Procurement policy objectives.

IPSA membership fees for 2008

IPSA hopes that its newly harmonized membership and rate structures for related services offered by IPSA and SAPICS across the supply chain, will benefit our members and enable more organisations in the private and public sector to join the SCM professional fraternity.

The 2008 rates for Individual Membership (IPSA membership only) are staying the same as in 2007 as R 400.00 excluding VAT per annum. Professional membership (that is dual IPSA / CIPS memberships), which used to be subsided from IPSA reserves in order to keep costs down when introduced in 2005, will now be charged out at a market related price of R1000.00 excluding VAT per annum for being a CIPS associate member and an IPSA member.

Categories of Membership
Corporate Membership
Corporate membership is designed for divisions of companies or organisations, which recognize the need for professionalism in Purchasing and Supply Management (PSM). By paying a corporate annual fee, the company will enjoy a wide range of benefits, the most important being access to world class knowledge on Best Practices in PSM. This is possible through education, events and our annual IPSA/CIPS Pan Africa conference. Corporate members can participate in these events at a corporate discount. Corporate members get a further discount on the membership fee of its linked up members. To simplify the invoicing process, one corporate invoice is issued for all these members. By publishing your corporate logo on the IPSA website, a link to your company's web site will be activated. We also offer a free service to our corporate members to advertise job vacancies through the IPSA distribution list.

Individual Membership

This category of membership is open to all practitioners working in the Purchasing and Supply Management (PSM) environment. Individual members will enjoy a range of benefits,  the most important being access to world class knowledge on Best Practices in PSM. This is possible through education, events and our annual conference. Individual members can participate in these events at an individual discount rate.

A. Corporate Membership

Option 1: Professional membership (dual)
Corporate membership fee annually:     R 3,500.00 + VAT = R 3990.00
Professional Membership (IPSA & CIPS):     R 1000.00/member + VAT = R 1140.00

Option 2: IPSA membership only
Corporate membership fee annually:     R 3,500.00 + VAT = R 3990.00
Membership (IPSA only):                         R 350.00/member + VAT = R 399.00

B. Individual membership

Option 1: Professional membership (dual)
Professional membership: (IPSA & CIPS):     R 1000.00/member + VAT = R 1140.00

Option 2: IPSA membership only
IPSA Individual membership:             R 400.00/member + VAT = R 456.00