COUNCIL WINS NATIONAL AWARD FOR FOOD CONTRACT

Argyll and Bute Council has won a prestigious national award for a food contract initiative in Bute.

The council’s procurement team won the Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility category at the third annual Government Opportunities (GO) Excellence in Public Procurement Awards Scotland 2010-11.

The aim of the Bute project was to link the supply of food into the educational curriculum, involving teachers as well as catering staff in developing the sourcing strategy for butcher meat, eggs and cheese.

The pilot project had a number of positive outcomes, including a 25% increase in school meals take up, an increase in the level of pupil satisfaction with school meals, overall economic benefit to the catering service and high levels of sustainability.

Argyll and Bute Council’s graduate recruitment and training programme for procurement officers was also a finalist in the awards, in the Innovation or Initiative of the Year category.

Council leader, Councillor Dick Walsh, said: “We are obviously delighted to have won this high profile award.

“It was a major achievement for Argyll and Bute council to have been shortlisted in two categories, and it is very exciting to have triumphed in one of them over what was some very stiff competition.

“GO is the only magazine in the UK dedicated to public procurement, so any award it presents is based upon in depth knowledge of the marketplace.

“Argyll and Bute’s shortlisted projects are examples of the sort of exciting and innovative initiatives on which this council prides itself. I congratulate all those who worked so hard to see them come to fruition.”

GO Managing Editor Grahame Steed said: “This year’s GO Awards Scotland have underlined the quality of procurement staff across the country and also highlighted that there are many suppliers prepared to go the extra mile in order to deliver quality services.

“Procurement will see some radical changes over the coming years but, on the evidence of these awards, there are many individuals and organisations in Scotland with the right mindset and ambition to ensure a successful outcome.”

A full list of the award winners is at http://www.govopps.co.uk/awardscotland/winners_2010.htm