Southwark Council wins excellence in procurement award for ethical care service provision

22 July 2020

Last Friday (17 July) saw the UK National GO Excellence in Public Procurement Awards 2020 take place, following the postponement of the event in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The GO Awards focus on recognising innovative procurement practices across the UK so it was fitting that the event organiser, BiP Solutions, took the bold decision to run the Awards ceremony online for the very first time.  With all of the challenges faced in delivering effective and high value public services, now is absolutely the time to recognise and showcase procurement’s role.

The awards celebrate outstanding achievements and innovation in public procurement. Southwark Council was one of the organisations recognised on the day for excellence in this area, winning the award for ‘Social Value (Local Government and Housing) Award’ for embedding a Southwark Ethical Care Charter in the re-commissioning of Care at Home Services.

Councillor Jasmine Ali, cabinet member for children, schools and adult care said: “This award has come at a particularly pertinent time, when the spotlight has been focused on care services across the country, and on the importance of fairness and equal treatment in every way that services are delivered. The recognition that Southwark has prioritised social value and quality in its care services is welcome news, I am so proud that we are leading the way with our Ethical Care Charter embedded into our procurement process. I hope that other authorities will follow our lead on this.”

The council was among six finalists, including East Sussex and Surrey County Councils in partnership with Orbis, and Caerphilly County Borough Council. The judging panel, chaired by David Smith CB FCIPS (former Commercial Director of DWP) declared Southwark Council the winners as they were “impressed with the way social value had been made an integral part of the procurement approach with a focus on ethical considerations, fairness and equal treatment, benefitting both those delivering services and those who receive care.”

Grahame Steed, Lead Judge for the GO Awards Programme, said: “Right now, procurement is front-page news with public service delivery at the forefront of economic recovery. That is why this year, it was more important than ever for our GO Awards to take place, and once again recognise the people and organisations making great procurement happen.

“Given innovation is a key driver for change in public sector procurement, we took inspiration from the very people we are celebrating, through delivering a full Awards programme in an online and interactive environment for the first time ever; thanks in no small part to our many sponsors and partners.

“Congratulations to all our highly commended and winning organisations, including Southwark Council, on their well-deserved success.’

Page last updated: 22 July 2020

Privacy settings