Judges' comments: “As the winner of two team categories, Sainsbury’s have well and truly rocked the profession this year and delivered groundbreaking change and transformation. Their award‑winning projects have not only reduced emissions and delivered better value for customers; they’re also a fantastic example of what can be achieved with teamwork and collaboration.”

Winner National Grid recognises that the clean energy transition requires a substantial upgrade to the UK’s electricity transmission network – The Great Grid Upgrade. The scale and pace of the upgrade is demanding National Grid (and its industry) to think and act differently. And drive programmatic innovation, collaborating, and sharing in mutual success – a Great Grid Partnership.

Judges' comments: “National Grid’s ongoing efforts to drive forward Britain’s clean energy transition are an excellent example of supply chain integration and show great commitment to the cause, as well as innovation and collaboration.”

Everyone is welcome was the sentiment underpinning EDF’S win this year. Its operation supply chain team has made a significant effort in fostering equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. And their actions are bringing about positive changes. The team continues to learn and drive for meaningful change towards greater equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Judges' comments: “This project demonstrates a significant effort in fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The team behind it are driving meaningful change and making a positive difference, which is fantastic.”

Winner Defra has been building its commercial capability one brick at a time. In 2021, it established a learning and development strategy to help its commercial function improve its skill base. And the approach has yielded some remarkable results, including substantial savings. In 2023, Defra was the highest ranked department for learning and development across the Government commercial function.

Judges' comments: “This submission is a great example of how to achieve with limited resources. The project has a clear strategy and execution and is underpinned by a passionate team who want to enhance the profession.”

The Sellafield team’s initiative was far more than just process enhancement or the attainment of immediate procurement objectives. It catalysed an unprecedented transformation within the nuclear sector. The multi-award winning team, having already achieved record cost savings, sought to further excel through the implementation of their capability programme and learning pathways. The initiative helped to reshape procurement practices and embed a culture of agility and innovation in an industry traditionally defined by caution and conformity. The programme has created a new culture of continuous improvement and innovation, resulting in a comprehensive uplift in procurement practice, team integration and operational excellence.

Winner MTN wanted its digital procurement transformation to align with its overall procurement transformation. So, it developed a neural engine for procurement, using open-source data science and machine learning libraries. The neural engine, The Px360, is a central procurement intelligence platform focused on three principles: sourcing intelligence, supplier governance and behaviour modelling, and knowledge.

Judges' comments: “This submission is a masterclass in how to align a digital procurement transformation with an overall procurement transformation. The project is progressive with a clear impact. It sets a great example for others to follow.”

BP fast-tracked digital transformation for the procurement team, managing $30bn+ in spend and 12,000+ contracts annually. Building a one source of truth analytics platform enabled data-driven decisions, presented targeted and actionable alerts, automated requests, and reduced cycle times from days and weeks to seconds. The enhancements addressed a substantial third-party contracting risk and resolved the root cause of multiple process inefficiencies, derived from a high number of expired contracts and those without a contract owner. In six months, data quality improved exponentially to 98%, saving over $18m, while building a foundation for the procurement’s function’s AI implementation strategy.

Winner GEP partnered with purchasing organisation E&I, to help streamline E&I’s procurement services. GEP transformed E&I’s procurement by designing and implementing a new operating model, upskilling its team’s capabilities. The programme yielded remarkable results, including a fourfold increase in efficiency. And has set a new benchmark in procurement excellence, highlighting the value of strategic partnerships.

Judges' comments: “This winning project highlights the value of strategic partnerships. Its implementation of a new operating model and associated upskilling shows remarkable results, including a fourfold increase in efficiency. ”

ProcureTech Accelerator is the only accelerator on the planet for corporate procurement teams to scout, select and scale innovative digital procurement solutions. It's a 7-week, fast-track, co-creation programme built by ProcureTech with companies like Roche, Fidelity, AXA, Walmart, JLR, and digital procurement providers. The Accelerator employs deep digital procurement expertise and co-creation to shape solutions, alongside proof-of-concept evaluation to transition from pilot to scale. Using an agile approach, cross-functional teams quickly grasp solution capabilities, ensuring future-proof design, completing business cases, due diligence, and ensuring solution fit. This collaborative effort yields faster results, maximising cost, risk, and innovation impact at scale.

Sainsbury’s has been accelerating positive change and reducing its carbon footprint with the help of its procurement team. Its procurement team partnered with the business to develop and roll out a retail-first, ultra-rapid charging network across its sites for Electric Vehicles (EVs). The project has changed the way Sainsbury’s talks about value.

Winner ONGC faced procurement challenges due to dispersed operations, limited strategic focus across categories, disproportionate workforce allocation, and process duplication. To meet these challenges, a three-pillar strategy was conceived and implemented, involving the setup up of a centralised procurement department (CPD), strategic procurement cell (MIND) and a technical user group (MIND). The project has since boosted efficiency, governance, and productivity.

Judges' comments: “This project is a first-class example of technical and human solutions working together to achieve an end goal. The project is complex and impactful and has delivered some impressive benefits.”

This project was for the provision of motor insurance for 10 police forces in the Southeast and East of England. The critical success factors for procurement were to ensure that the collective forces were an attractive proposition to the insurance market through demonstration of their effective management of fleet risk, and that the contract was affordable to the forces.

Winner NATS, Leidos, and partners have been using collaborative best practice to deliver new benefits to Amsterdam Schiphol airport. The collaboration led to the delivery of an arrivals spacing tool, enabling air traffic controllers to safely optimise runway capacity to improve airport operational resilience, deliver better on-time performance, reduce emissions, and increase revenue.

Judges' comments: “A winning show of collaborative best practice that demonstrates intelligence and ingenuity. This initiative takes forward learnings from Heathrow Airport and applies them at Schiphol Airport to achieve excellent results.”

Winner MTN Group sought to transform its procurement function from a cost centre to a strategic function to drive key strategic investment programmes. Now a value generator, it’s successfully pioneered an agile procurement operating model and put ESG at the heart of its strategy. This has boosted cost savings, and its collaboration with suppliers has helped to reduce emissions.

Judges' comments: “This submission is a great example of how to transform a procurement function and put ESG at the heart of your strategy. It focuses on the why and shows achievement of some key results like cost savings and a reduction in emissions.”

National Highways seeks every opportunity to improve the communities touched by its construction and maintenance activities and those who benefit from using the strategic road network. Two key focus areas for 2023 were reducing carbon emissions and increasing social value benefits. The Lower Thames Crossing programme involved road building and tunnelling, so presented a fantastic opportunity to decarbonise construction. The programme would involve the supply chain right back to OEMs to find innovation in off-site construction and use of hydrogen. The project lead to social value change, including the creation of a Social Enterprise Dynamic Purchasing System: a first of its kind in England.

Winner Costa Coffee has created what it dubs the Perfect Blend to Fuel Growth – a record-breaking procurement transformation programme. Its procurement team spearheaded over 235 savings projects. Including key supplier transitions, network redesigns and advanced tendering via a newly implemented digital platform. Through brilliant execution, advanced business partnering and a growth mindset, the team delivered exceptional results.

Judges' comments: “This winning transformation programme isn’t just about costcutting; it’s about creating value for suppliers and harnessing sustainability to transform. The project puts procurement out in front, and that’s something to be recognised.”

Scout is the one-stop-shop for every employee’s purchasing journey at AstraZeneca. Scout delivers four tangible benefits to AZ – it directs 90,000 people, whether they are a scientist or part of the salesforce, on how to make a purchase through an AI powered search application. It also simplifies the supplier onboarding process, integrating several existing technology platforms, encouraged faster purchasing methods, and streamlines the support model for users to get help. Scout has created a single pathway to purchase; saving time, effort, and costs, allowing our people to focus on following the science, making new medicines, and saving patient’s lives.

Winner Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing’s procurement team has been driving a high-performance culture that’s led to many gains. Including improved collaboration with colleagues and suppliers. Despite a reduction in team members, MTVH has increased its operational effectiveness, driven and influenced cultural change, and increased compliance across the organisation.

Judges' comments: “An outstanding submission focused on big change. For this project, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing set out to reposition themselves, and showed immense bravery in their willingness to self-reflect.”

Winner PepsiCo successfully expanding its corn chips snack PopCorners into APAC to capitalise on its success in the US. Addressing setbacks in production, cost, and scarcity of raw materials with proactive measures to drive cost savings and alignment with PEP+ Scope 3 targets. A popping success, indeed!

Judges' comments: “PepsiCo’s strategic expansion of PopCorners shows tremendous innovation and is a great example of how to turn risk into ambition and opportunity.”

Recent history has brought unprecedented levels of risk to Rolls-Royce; the aerospace sector was severely impacted by the pandemic, with demand crashing overnight. Risk levels have remained very high, whilst demand for its products has continued to rise in parallel. Bolstering its risk and resilience capabilities during 2023 was therefore essential. Rolls-Royce launched a comprehensive external risk management improvement programme during 2023 focusing on improvements in six key areas, including risk identification, prioritisation, mitigation planning, and enhancing external intelligence. These enhancements to its risk management capabilities will enable Rolls-Royce, and its supply chain, to succeed into the future.

Public sector winner SEERPIC were recognised for their project involving the provision of motor insurance for 10 police forces in the Southeast and East of England. The critical success factors for procurement were to ensure that the collective forces were an attractive proposition to the insurance market through demonstration of their effective management of fleet risk, and that the contract was affordable to the forces.

Judges' comments: “This fantastic submission shows achievement of long‑term change and a clear commitment to collaboration. The project is outward‑looking in its approach and provides some insightful lessons learnt.”

Private sector winner Sainsbury’s embarked on a big cultural shift and transformational change to deliver better for its customers. Its staff and suppliers worked tirelessly on solutions to improve the business, and to achieve its goals of ‘First Choice for Food’ and ‘Save & Invest to Win’. The results are a great example of collaborative teamwork.

Judges' comments: “This project shows impressive use of both collaboration (internal and external) and new ways of working. Sainsbury’s has deployed both to great effect, with procurement playing a lead role in its cultural shift and transformation.”

Winner Nationwide puts environmental consciousness at the core of its purpose. The building society has committed to reducing its upstream Scope 3 emissions by 42% by 2030. And, with the efforts of its procurement team, it has driven activity to establish new, proportionate science-based target expectations for suppliers of high value contracts, supported by internal capacity building.

Judges' comments: “Nationwide’s procurement team are doing excellent work in the sustainability space, including activity to establish new, proportionate, science-based target expectations for suppliers of high-value contracts. The results so far are superb.”

Winner National Highways is on a mission to serve its communities better and enhance its strategic road network. Its initiative for achieving this is a company-wide social plan focused on maximising its impact in the community through its procurement activity. The award winner defines social value as the benefits its supply chain delivers for people, the environment, and the economy.

Judges' comments: “This successful initiative shows National Highways are maximising the impact of their procurement activity in the communities they serve.”

Protecting worker rights/human rights is a core and foundational element for any sustainable supply chain. Global corporations largely adopt a risk-based approach, which involves assessing high risk suppliers for malpractices and rectifying identified gaps. However, studies by the UN and post-COVID labour research show vulnerability and exploitation of the global workforce are at an all-time high. Thus, proving the ineffectiveness of traditional risk-based approach. Schneider Electric has adopted a three-pronged approach: 1. De-risk high-risk suppliers to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. 2. Ensure continuous improvement by mandating suppliers to adopt leading policies. 3. Be aspirational by deploying preventive controls to reduce the likelihood of any potential malpractice.

Winner Co-op has a long history of driving social value for its colleagues, communities, and members. And is committed to building inclusive partnerships. Its Endless Inclusion Hub has enabled it to collaborate better with suppliers and achieve ED&I goals more broadly. For Co-op, inclusion isn't just a nice thing to do, it's how it does business.

Judges' comments: “This inspirational initiative is a brilliant example of how to utilise procurement to bring to life a company mission or vision. The project shows a great commitment to change and a willingness to do things differently.”

Adele is a highly driven procurement professional with a track record of delivering results through collaborative ways of working, leveraging her authentic leadership style. A BA Business Graduate at Nottingham Trent University, she started her career in the automotive industry on Nissan’s procurement graduate scheme. Having honed her technical skills, Adele moved to a broader buyer role in Sainsbury’s where, in a fast-paced retail environment, she has grown her skillset, procuring with a focus on value not just cost, evolving her influencing skills to drive outcomes at the highest levels, and approaching decision making with a customer-centric lens.

In the male-dominated cyber and defence environment, Katie challenges diversity norms, leading high-profile projects worth nearly £50m aged just 25. Representing the contracting authority, she confronts age and gender biases while liaising with governing bodies. Achieving MCIPS at 25 validates her competency, fostering self-assurance and professional growth. Delivering complex IT programmes in cyber defence demands innovative strategies and influencing high-profile stakeholders, both of which she excels in. Navigating technical complexities, she realises the potential to drive real change, leveraging her influence for societal impact, as evidenced through her delivery of a school mentoring programme tackling economic inequality.

Judges' comments: “Katie is doing some great work to challenge diversity norms, including leveraging her influence to tackle economic inequality. At just 25, she’s achieving some remarkable things early in her career.”

Winner Mat is a thought leader on sustainability and is currently co-chair of the Scope 3 Chapter of the Sustainable Procurement Pledge. He is the former global head of procurement for sustainability at CBRE, the largest real estate company globally. In that role, his focus was on decarbonising the supply chain and circular economy, supplier diversity and responsible procurement. Prior to this, Mat was global head of procurement operations, technology and transformation for CBRE, where he initially started building the ESG programme. Mat has an MSc in sustainable development.

Judges' comments: “Mat is clearly dedicated to decarbonisation, ESG and supplier diversity – and he has a true champion mindset. He’s achieved some impressive things this year and is firmly committed to sustainable procurement.”

Winner Jacqui leads the commercial directorate at NHS England, driving the NHS to improve delivery, quality, efficiency and value of the commercial and wider estates management, services and functions. Jacqui joined NHS England in January 2022 from the UK Health Security Agency, where she was chief commercial officer, head of corporate services and transition director. As a member of the NHS Test and Trace executive team, she was a driving force behind dynamic and rapid innovation and technology development in the supply chain. Jacqui was formerly director for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation at the Ministry of Defence and is a member of the Cabinet Office commercial function. She joined the UK Government after 30 years in financial services, where she held executive positions in companies including Credit Suisse, JP Morgan and Barclays.

Judges' comments: “Jacqui is a pioneering procurement leader who is currently transforming NHS England’s procurement team and investing in innovative digital solutions to improve the delivery of healthcare. She is an inspiration to us all.”