Digby Barker

Drawing on his consultancy experience and government background – including posts in MoD HQ and HM Treasury – Digby specialises in helping companies win and profit from public sector business, advising in particular on marketing strategy and tender preparation. His experience includes research, operational/decision analysis, resource allocation, project management and acquisition, especially the development of procurement strategies, ITTs and tender evaluation schemes.

David Griffiths

David is Head of Procurement Services Group at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, and has spent some 20 years in purchasing and contracts within central government. He is responsible for procurement policy and planning, including the contractual aspects of Better Quality Services, supply chain management and the professional development of staff within DVLA. He is a graduate member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and a member of IPSERA.

Peter Howarth

Peter has a long track record in procurement and local government. In October 2003 he started his own consultancy and training company (SBV Ltd) specialising in procurement and contracting matters, primarily in the public sector. He is currently the Chief Executive of the Society of Procurement Officers in Local Government (SOPO). Prior to that he had spent three years with the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) where he worked as a member of the team developing IDeA Marketplace. He is also a member of the National e-Procurement Project board, a Director of the Ipswich and Sudbury Enterprise Agency, primarily working on their strategy group, and is a regular conference speaker and workshop facilitator. His earlier posts include Director of Strategic Management, Associate Director of Resources and County Purchasing Officer for Suffolk County Council. Whilst at Suffolk he led on the introduction of Best Value and was responsible for a number of cross-functional projects and departments. He has also worked for Shropshire County Council as Deputy County Supplies Officer. Peter spent 15 years in engineering procurement, primarily with British Leyland - originally in the Automotive division working on development projects for sports cars such as the TR7, and then in the Special Projects division, mainly for Coventry Climax. Peter is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and a member of IPSERA. He was one of the first graduates from the Birmingham University MBA in Strategic Procurement and also holds a degree in Applied Economics, but maintains that serving an apprenticeship in a Coventry car factory prepared him for most things in life!

Gareth Jones

Gareth has worked in the procurement field since 1971, the greater part of his career being in the public sector, including 22 years in healthcare purchasing. In 1997 Gareth became DETR's first Head of Procurement. Since leaving the public service Gareth has undertaken a major procurement review for the House of Commons. In consultancy terms, his major clients have included Inland Revenue, Nirex, Sapient plc and Governetz Ltd. Gareth is a noted change manager with highly respected motivational, training and teaching skills.

Richard Parsons

Richard has worked in the procurement field for over 26 years, in the local authority and higher education sectors. Following spells with West Sussex County Council and Bexley London Borough, he set up corporate procurement services for the London Borough of Newham, Middlesex University and City University. He was appointed Strategic Procurement Manager at the London Borough of Camden in 2002, where he has been responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive procurement strategy and policy. Richard is Chairman of the London Contracts & Supplies Group, and an adviser to the Management Board of the London Centre of Excellence.