Achieving MCIPS is the start of the next stage of your journey through your procurement and supply career. It confirms that you’ve put in the work and you’re an expert in the room, and comes with a major earnings boost: according to the 2025 CIPS Salary Survey, in partnership with Hays, MCIPS professionals earn on average 59% more than their non-MCIPS peers.
But for all the benefits it offers you, MCIPS is in no way the end of the story. It’s true that it doesn’t fade with time: you could earn your MCIPS qualification and never study again for another 20 years and still be considered MCIPS, and you’d still reap the long-term benefits that come with it.
But as in all other professions, there’s a certain expectation in the job market that you’ll be engaged in continuous development, and to that end, procurement professionals who’ve achieved MCIPS can pursue chartered status via CIPS.
The process is part of CIPS’s broad commitment to procurement and supply and continuous learning, and it’s uncomplicated: simply follow a continuous professional development programme totalling 30 hours over a 12-month stretch and complete the CIPS Ethics Test.
The benefits are many. As a chartered professional listed on the CIPS Professional Register, you will be recognised for your competence and expertise with a credential that carries weight around the world.
Right to the top
CIPS also offers another grade of membership: fellowship, with the designation FCIPS. Achieving it is a way to demonstrate that you’ve reached the pinnacle of your career and you’re a respected fellow amongst your peers.
FCIPS professionals are very much revered as procurement’s senior leaders. They will be invited to networking opportunities and peer-to-peer events with other senior professionals, chief procurement officers, heads and directors. They also get the opportunity to do a lot of speaking opportunities at CIPS events, and at other events around the world run by other procurement organisations.
This makes FCIPS status a door-opener and a mind-opener, an opportunity to really understand what’s going on in procurement and supply across different sectors at a very high strategic level. Our fellows ultimately command higher salaries as well.
It’s also a great opportunity to really contribute to CIPS’s work. We ask a lot of our fellows to input into content we’re developing to help advocate for the profession and shape its future. The expectation is that FCIPS professionals will not only carry outstanding knowledge, skills and experience, but also help lift other professionals up.
So who is eligible for FCIPS status? Firstly, applicants must have had MCIPS for at least two years, and need to have been in a strategic role for at least three years. The process involves no exams; instead, prospective fellows must submit a detailed application, detailing their career path, showcasing the strategic impact they’ve made as they’ve climbed the ladder, and submitting letters of support – including one from their current line manager.
Along with this, an applicant can share whatever evidence they like of the impact they’ve made on the profession, from mentees’ testimonials to panel, podcast and webinar appearances. They also need to provide a summary of their planned future activity, outside of their paid role, that will make an impact on the profession.
To find out more about FCIPS and read interviews with fellows on what the status has done for them, click here.