20 years of the GO Awards

Celebrating public procurement professionals – the 2022/23 procurement awards season is GO!

The 2022/23 GO Awards season is underway, and this year BiP Solutions is proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the awards, which were established in 2002 with the aim of recognising excellence in public procurement across the UK.

Celebrating procurement across the UK at the UK National GO Awards.

The first event this season will be the GO Awards Scotland this autumn, shortly followed by the GO Awards Wales. Entries for both are now open, so if your organisation has achieved great results in the past year and your procurement team deserves recognition for their fantastic achievements then we’d love to hear about it. Register to enter today.

Celebrating 20 years

Having worked extensively in public procurement since it was founded in 1984, BiP established the GO Awards as a means of showcasing best practice from organisations across the public, private and third sectors, especially those whose innovations, initiatives and advancements in the delivery of public services have helped to make the UK a world leader in smart and effective procurement.

We’re delighted to announce the launch of GO Awards Scotland 2022/23, alongside an exciting new website, we've also launched our 22/23 categories.

Even before the events of the past couple of years, procurement was rapidly evolving as part of its transformation from back-office function to strategic player. Then it became front page news as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, and even as we head back towards normality, public service delivery will be at the forefront of the economic recovery.

That’s why, 20 years on from its beginning, the GO Awards is now more important than ever before, and has gone on to become the leading public procurement excellence awards in the UK, where the standard of entries continues to rise every year.

New awards

The GO Awards has a range of categories, recognising achievements in everything from contract delivery to COVID-19 response. To mark its 20th anniversary, and to keep in line with the latest evolution in procurement, four new categories have been launched for Scotland and Wales:

  • Best Net Zero Initiative
  • Contract and Supplier Management
  • Supply Chain Diversity
  • Collaborative Procurement Initiative

Enter today

If your team in Scotland or Wales has demonstrated outstanding work in procurement then an evening at the GO Awards makes the perfect reward, as well as offering you the chance to learn from other excellent examples of best practice and set new goals for the future.

©Sandy Young / scottishphotographer.com

Entries for the GO Awards Scotland, which are supported by the Scottish Government, close on 6 September, after which all entries will be judged by leading procurement figures from across Scotland and the UK. The big night will then take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow on Thursday 27 October 2022.

For Wales, entries will close on 21 September, with the GO Awards Wales being hosted at the Mercure Hotel in Cardiff on Tuesday 8 November 2022.

Organisations can register on the GO Awards website, where they will be able to write and submit their entries, learn more about this season’s awards, and be the first to receive updates and exclusive registrant benefits.

Good luck, and we’ll hope to see you this autumn!

Scotland Awards are GO!

We’re delighted to announce the launch of GO Awards Scotland 2022/23.

Alongside an exciting new website, we’ve also launched our 22/23 categories – bringing new opportunities to enter the Awards and have your procurement exercise recognised amongst some of the best public and private sector projects.

Make sure you register to enter today to ensure you are the first to receive updates and exclusive registrant benefits!

Due to be hosted on 27 October 2022 at Crowne Plaza, Glasgow, the GO Awards are Scotland’s leading public procurement excellence awards, celebrating the very best procurement achievements from across Scotland’s public, private and third sector organisations.

Register to enter today

We’re delighted to announce the launch of GO Awards Scotland 2022/23, alongside an exciting new website, we've also launched our 22/23 categories.

The GO Awards Scotland – supported by the Scottish Government – recognise the achievement and successes of all involved in the delivery of Scottish public sector services – whether from the public, private or third sectors. Judged by leading procurement figures from across Scotland and the UK, these are the Awards everyone wants to win.

Register to enter today to ensure you are the first to receive updates on full category details being announced and our brand new, exclusive entry pack!

‏‏”We are absolutely delighted, really surprised and quite emotional! We have a fantastic team and work very collaboratively and we’re all very passionate about procurement. It’s such a privilege to win.”  2021/22 Winner Glasgow City Council

Showcase innovation

The GO Awards Scotland 2022/23 are a unique opportunity for organisations from the public, private and third sector to showcase the innovations, initiatives and advancements that make Scotland a world leader in smart and effective public procurement.

We’re delighted to announce the launch of GO Awards Scotland 2022/23, alongside an exciting new website, we've also launched our 22/23 categories.

This year several new categories have been added to the list, reflecting the diversity of procurement across Scotland’s public sector. Take this opportunity to ‘step out of the back office’ and into the spotlight by entering the GO Awards and ensuring that your procurement success story is told!

Motivate your team and gain recognition

There is no better way to inspire your team than by attending the GO Awards. Learn from other excellent examples of best practice throughout the year and set new goals for the future.

If your organisation has demonstrated outstanding work in procurement, then this is a cause for celebration. The GO Awards offer an evening of showcasing achievements to industry leaders and your procurement peers alike.

“The team will be absolutely delighted! There’s been a lot of hard work put into everything over the last couple of years so absolutely delighted to be recognised for this” 2021/22 Winner Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, NHS Grampian & NEOS Networks

Make a real difference

The GO Awards showcase the valuable work organisations do and how procurement is making a difference for everyone. Sharing your experiences, journey and lessons learned will help shape the future of procurement for all.

“‏‏‎It shows what the public and private sector can do when they come together and it now gives us the benefit of having proved a concept and we can now go forward and apply this to other areas” 2021/22 Winner Sykes Global Services Limited, part of the Sitel Group, & NHS National Services Scotland

New Categories for 2022/23

New categories have been launched for the coming year, keeping in line with the ever-evolving procurement landscape.

We’re delighted to announce the launch of GO Awards Scotland 2022/23, alongside an exciting new website, we've also launched our 22/23 categories.

This year several new categories open to public, private and third sector organisations have been added to the list, reflecting the diversity of procurement across Scotland’s public sector. Take this opportunity to ‘step out of the back office’ and into the spotlight by entering the GO Awards and ensuring that your procurement success story is told!

The new awards in particular highlight the moves in procurement to improve the environment, social value initiatives and collaboration.

The new categories are:

  • Best Net Zero Initiative Award
  • Contract and Supplier Management Award
  • Supply Chain Diversity Award
  • Collaborative Procurement Initiative Award

Full overviews and questions will be released next week.

Get involved

The GO Awards are your unique opportunity to celebrate procurement excellence and network with the most influential buyers and suppliers from the UK’s public sector procurement community.

The GO Awards present you with a chance to showcase your brand in front of the most influential public sector buyers across all areas of the public sector including local and central government, healthcare, education, housing and emergency services – providing a high-value opportunity to create or develop the relationships that matter most to your organisation.

We’re delighted to announce the launch of GO Awards Scotland 2022/23, alongside an exciting new website, we've also launched our 22/23 categories.

Register to enter now to be the first to receive updates on full category details being announced!

Celebrating public procurement at GO Awards Scotland

Hundreds of procurement experts gathered at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow to celebrate their achievements at the GO Awards Scotland.

Organised by BiP Solutions and sponsored by Lyreco, the GO Awards celebrated the delivery of critical public services in Scotland over the past year, with eight different awards up for grabs.

Nick Ford, Director of Procurement and Commercial at the Scottish Government delivered the opening address while Sarah Heaney was host for the evening.

“I think it’s fair to say that the profile and importance of public procurement has never been higher; in Scotland and across the rest of the UK”, Heaney stated. “So these are an awards for everyone involved – buyers and all involved in the supply chain that delivers vital public services.”

“But of course, we must recognise the achievement of each of our finalists. Regardless of the outcome tonight, each has taken the time to put their work in the spotlight and to help progress standards in procurement for all.”

Winning the biggest prize of the night – the GO Excellence Award, was Scottish Government Digital, in partnership with NHS National Services Scotland and Public Health Scotland for creating a service to collect contact data from visitors for various venues during the height of the pandemic.

They were eligible for this award after also winning the COVID Outstanding Response Award (Public Sector) for the same project.

Also picking up double accolades, The City of Edinburgh Council, won the Continuous Improvement Award and the Health and Wellbeing Award for their Thrive Edinburgh project, which helped to simplify the delivery of vital mental health services in the city.

The first award of the night, the Social Value Award, went to Aberdeen City Council, who along with Aberdeenshire Council, NHS Grampian and Neos Networks, were rewarded for their work relating to the ‘Gigabit Connectivity Framework’ to improve and deliver digital connectivity to public sites.

“I can’t take the credit for this project but it was a real team effort and they will all be delighted back at the office. With any collaborative project there is always difficulties but they did a great job and this award is testament to that”, said Fiona Conti, Strategic Procurement Manager at Aberdeen City Council.

Scotland Excel were crowned winners of the Best Procurement Delivery Award for their support in the delivery of the Scottish Government’s £3 billion Affordable Housing Supply Programme, while Sykes Global and NHS National Services Scotland won the COVID-19 Outstanding Response Award (Private Sector) for their creation and delivery of COVID test kits.

“It has been fantastic to be back at government awards and to celebrate the success of the team together. The biggest challenge on this project was the sheer scale of delivery with so many people involved, but we were driven by wanting to get the best outcome for people and we’re proud to have one that”, said Steve Brannagan, Head of Customer & Business Services at Scotland Excel.

Finally, Glasgow City Council won the Procurement Team of the Year Award following their successful procurement of a new fleet of green vehicles for their city.

Among those presenting the awards was Grahame Steed, Content, Research and Communications Director at BiP Solutions. “Given the challenges we have seen facing public procurement in recent years, the GO Awards Scotland were a fantastic opportunity for some teams to earn the recognition they deserve for their hard work in such difficult times, and the standard was as high as ever.”

“It was great to see everyone in person again, and we congratulate all those who took home a GO Awards Scotland trophy, as well as all the finalists who submitted such strong entries. We look forward to seeing all our category winners again in Birmingham on 25 May for the UK GO Awards.”

For those hoping to join Scotland’s winners at the GO Awards UK, the deadline for entries has been extended to Monday 25 April, so submit your entry while there’s still time, and we may just see you at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham on the big night!

Find out more about entering here, and good luck! https://www.goawards.co.uk/national/

Team BiP cover the distance of the English Channel (and back again) for charity

Plucky BiP colleagues from across the business have stepped up to raise £1,620 for charity. 

Sixteen colleagues in Glasgow went head-to-head with staff from The Village Hotel on the rowing machine, putting in an impressive performance.

Marketing Manager Alex Jolly is ready for the Red Nose Day challenge

What was the challenge?

The original objective was to row the English Channel – but they did ‘a bit’ better than that – rowing there and back again. 

Stand out performances on the day came from Finance Director Linda Andrews, who led the charge, with Customer Success Manager John Dennett and Senior Credit Controller Vinny Short following closely behind.

While in Manchester, 13 colleagues put the pedals to the metal to smash their 150-mile relay target for Red Nose Day. 

Graphic Design Lead Seamus Norton put in an exceptional individual performance – clocking up 12.01 miles in 30 minutes, followed by Marketing Manager Alex Jolly (10.12 miles) and Production Executive Al Roberts (10.03 miles).

Content and sales teams take part in our Manchester office

What did the team raise?

Together the overall competitors raised £810 in donations which the business has agreed to match – bringing the total to a fantastic £1,620. 

People Director Alan Mathie said: “A huge thank you and well done to all our BiP colleagues who took part in the challenges on the day. 

“And a special mention also to those who provided the much-needed vocal support and encouragement. 

“It was great to be able to put on this type of event and see how it contributed to a great atmosphere across both offices. Most importantly, and the reason why we did it, we were able to raise a lot of money for Comic Relief.

Sales director Stuart McAndrew takes to the bike for his second stint of the day

CEO Simon Burges added: “As part of our annual BiP Solutions Giving Back programme, it was great to see our colleagues across Manchester and Glasgow raising funds and supporting this year’s Comic Relief appeal.

“As a company we were also delighted to match fund each donation, in support of this extremely important charity.”

For more information on our people and culture at BiP Solutions follow us on LinkedIn. 

Public Sector Procurement Trends Update (21st – 27th March)

This week’s Public Sector Procurement Trends report, produced in association with Tracker Intelligence, has been released.

The report provides an update on activities between 21st – 27th March and shows that 38% of contracts were for less than £100,000 – clearly indicating a continued opportunity for SMEs throughout the public sector.

Other key highlights this week include:

  • Local Government is once again the most active sector, followed by Education & Central Government
  • 1811 contract notices were published this week, a 9.7% decrease from the previous week
  • 894 different buying authorities published contract notices this week

The report also shows the top three highest value awards published this week and those awarded to more than 1,300 suppliers; contract volume broken down by sector; and top buyers by contract volume.

The report can be viewed in full here

Public Sector Procurement Trends Update (14th – 20th March)

This week’s Public Sector Procurement Trends report, produced in association with Tracker Intelligence, has been released.

The report provides an update on activities between 14th – 20th March and shows that 36% of contracts were for less than £100,000 – clearly indicating a continued opportunity for SMEs throughout the public sector.

Other key highlights this week include:

  • Local Government is once again the most active sector, followed by Education & Health
  • 2006 contract notices were published this week, a 3% increase from the previous week
  • 977 different buying authorities published contract notices this week

The report also shows the top three highest value awards published this week and those awarded to more than 1,300 suppliers; contract volume broken down by sector; and top buyers by contract volume.

The report can be viewed in full here

Public Sector Procurement Trends Update (7th – 13th March)

This week’s Public Sector Procurement Trends report, produced in association with Tracker Intelligence, has been released.

The report provides an update on activities between 7th – 13th March and shows that 39% of contracts were for less than £100,000 – clearly indicating a continued opportunity for SMEs throughout the public sector.

Other key highlights this week include:

  • Local Government is once again the most active sector, followed by Health & Central Government
  • 1947 contract notices were published this week, a 3.9% decrease from the previous week
  • 969 different buying authorities published contract notices this week

The report also shows the top three highest value awards published this week and those awarded to more than 1,300 suppliers; contract volume broken down by sector; and top buyers by contract volume.

The report can be viewed in full here

Public Sector Procurement Trends Update (28th February – 6th March)

This week’s Public Sector Procurement Trends report, produced in association with Tracker Intelligence, has been released.

The report provides an update on activities between 28th February – 6th March and shows that 37% of contracts were for less than £100,000 – clearly indicating a continued opportunity for SMEs throughout the public sector.

Other key highlights this week include:

  • Local Government is once again the most active sector, followed by Education & Health
  • 2026 contract notices were published this week, a 4.4% increase from the previous week
  • 957 different buying authorities published contract notices this week

The report also shows the top three highest value awards published this week and those awarded to more than 1,400 suppliers; contract volume broken down by sector; and top buyers by contract volume.

The report can be viewed in full here

Public Sector Procurement Trends Update (21st – 27th February)

This week’s Public Sector Procurement Trends report, produced in association with Tracker Intelligence, has been released.

The report provides an update on activities between 21st – 27th February and shows that 41% of contracts were for less than £100,000 – clearly indicating a continued opportunity for SMEs throughout the public sector.

Other key highlights this week include:

  • Local Government is once again the most active sector, followed by Central Government & Education
  • 1941 contract notices were published this week, a 6.7% decrease from the previous week
  • 939 different buying authorities published contract notices this week

The report also shows the top three highest value awards published this week and those awarded to more than 1,300 suppliers; contract volume broken down by sector; and top buyers by contract volume.

The report can be viewed in full here

Public Sector Procurement Trends Update (14th – 20th February)

This week’s Public Sector Procurement Trends report, produced in association with Tracker Intelligence, has been released.

The report provides an update on activities between 14th – 20th February and shows that 40% of contracts were for less than £100,000 – clearly indicating a continued opportunity for SMEs throughout the public sector.

Other key highlights this week include:

  • Local Government is once again the most active sector, followed by Education & Central Government
  • 2081 contract notices were published this week, a 5.2% decrease from the previous week
  • 1015 different buying authorities published contract notices this week

The report also shows the top three highest value awards published this week and those awarded to more than 1,300 suppliers; contract volume broken down by sector; and top buyers by contract volume.

The report can be viewed in full here

BiP Solutions Limited is a company registered in Scotland with Company Number SC086146 and VAT number 383030966 and having its registered office at Medius, 60 Pacific Quay, Glasgow, G51 1DZ.

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