Patrick Regan

I help people get things done. People hire me to do it well, and do it swiftly. I think strategically and then make things happen. Some people call it commercial project and programme management, I'd call it common sense.

With over 25 years of experience, I specialize in delivering strategic change and commercial excellence across public and private sectors. Currently serving as the Synergy Commercial Functional Lead at DEFRA, I contribute to transforming shared services for major government departments through Oracle Fusion ERP and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. My role includes bridging the gap between DEFRA Commercial and the Systems Integrator, focusing on the development and delivery of key design deliverables.

Leveraging a foundation in consultancy and procurement, I excel in commercial transformation, procurement processes, and public sector engagements. My commitment lies in enabling organisations to achieve operational efficiency and strategic goals, while fostering collaboration and innovation in high-value programs.

With over 25 years of experience across both private and public sectors—including more than 20 years in management consultancy—I bring deep expertise in senior commercial project and programme management. I specialise in delivering strategic and operational transformation initiatives, particularly within the public sector.

I have demonstrated strong commercial acumen across programmes ranging from £1M to £700M, including:

• Leading a £200M procurement project for the Department of Health & Social Care, involving hospital mobilisation and contract management.
• Managing a £700M programme with the Department for Education, supporting apprenticeship reform.
• Providing strategic support to the Cabinet Office in developing and implementing the Commercial Continuous Improvement Assessment Framework (CCIAF).
• Delivering commercial leadership in politically sensitive environments, such as introducing private sector suppliers into NHS hospitals (ISTC) and supporting the Department for Exiting the European Union.

Recent Key Work – DEFRA

• I served as Commercial Functional Lead and Source to Contract (S2C) Process Lead for the Synergy Programme, implementing Oracle ERP across four departments (Defra, DWP, MoJ, Home Office). I shaped strategic design deliverables for a unified operating model serving 250,000 users, ensuring S2C data, systems, and processes interface and support the programme.
• I led commercial transformation across Defra, including the implementation of Atamis (S2C), ServiceNow e-ticketing, and the MyBuy buying hub, embedding government Playbooks and procurement policies across Defra and its Arm’s Length Bodies.

I have supported commercial functions across:

• Local Government (e.g., Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Doncaster, Rushcliffe & Charnwood)
• NHS bodies (primary, secondary, and community care)
• Central Government departments including DHSC, DIT, DfE, DEFRA, Cabinet Office, and DexEU

Key Achievements

• Led the Commercial Function for the Synergy Programme, supporting transformation of shared services across Defra, DWP, MoJ, and the Home Office, impacting over 250,000 users through Oracle Fusion ERP and Oracle Cloud.
• Acted as strategic liaison with Systems Integrators (Deloitte, Oracle, IBM), aligning commercial processes, data, and integration across the programme.
• Scoped and delivered integration of commercial contract data between Atamis (S2C) and Oracle ERP, enabling seamless Procure-to-Pay (P2P) operations.
• Provided process and policy leadership to implement the sourcing system Atamis, replacing legacy systems and transforming Source-to-Contract operations, improving procurement visibility and compliance.
• Played a key role in designing and launching the Defra Commercial e-ticketing system (ServiceNow) to streamline demand capture and triage.
• Helped establish the Defra Buying Hub (MyBuy), a centralised platform for procurement guidance and user support.
• Led the rollout of the Construction Playbook and Consultancy Playbook, embedding these in the One Way of Working tool Defra uses for managing consistent commercial sourcing.
• Managed the CCIAF assessment return and Continuous Improvement Plan, aligning Defra with central government commercial standards.
• Delivered a full commercial content migration project, tagging and transferring thousands of documents into Content Cloud.

• Supported the Cabinet Office in designing and implementing the Commercial Continuous Improvement Framework (CCIAF), including collaboration with NHSE for national rollout.
• Led commercial closure and re-procurement activities for the Dept for International Trade (DIT), including a £200M contingent labour contract and Machinery of Government transition.
• Managed re-commissioning of DIT’s largest contingent labour contract, delivering strategic sourcing and market engagement.
• Developed an operational commissioning toolkit for public-funded debt advice services (£50M grant programme) at Money Advice Service.
• Held a key commercial role in the Dept for Education’s £1Bn Apprenticeship Reform Programme, supporting business case development and procurement.
• Project managed two £150M procurement projects at the Dept of Health, including mobilisation and contract management of an acute hospital.
• Led the Effective Commissioning programme at Leicestershire County Council, improving evidence-based decision-making and contract management.
• Developed a bid management framework for Warwickshire County Council, supporting service sales to schools across multiple departments.
• Implemented category management for Doncaster MBC’s £100M Adult Social Care department, delivering £2.5M in savings.
• Managed a shared services merger project for Rushcliffe and Charnwood Councils, covering HR, Finance, and IT.
• Led mobilisation of primary care GP services across Greenwich NHS, ensuring readiness of facilities, staff, and systems.
• Worked as an IT Management Consultant for 7 years, including 3+ years on European supply chain projects with PA Consulting.
• Served as Business Development Lead for a consultancy, driving sales, offer development, and pipeline management.

• MSc - Operations Management & Manufacturing Systems (09/1993 – 09/1994) 
• BEng - Mechanical Design Materials and Manufacturing (09/1990 – 06/1993)
• Prince 2 Practioner. SAP Qualfied for Sales and Distribution. Working to qualify for MCIPS. 
• Agile Contract Management Foundation accreditation
• Government Commercial Function training
• Procurement Act 2023 training