Best Contribution to Corporate Responsibility
This category encompasses externally-focused social, ethical and environmental, sustainability and community initiatives. The judges will look at the role a procurement or supply chain management function has played in safeguarding or enhancing an organisation’s reputation and brand values.
Best Contribution to the Reputation of the Profession
This award is open to individuals, teams or organisations who, through their procurement operations, have demonstrated activities that contribute to the public good. This may be by exhibiting ethical behaviour, social value, philanthropic activity, or enhancing the profession’s reputation through encouraging young people into procurement for example.
Best Cross-Functional Teamwork Project
Entries in this category should demonstrate how a procurement or supply chain management team has worked effectively with another team from the same organisation to achieve a mutual goal, for example, for an outsourcing or an offshoring project.
Best International Procurement Project
This category exists to reflect the global nature of procurement and supply chain management. The judges will be looking for evidence of a successful project that involved sourcing activities and/or teamwork stretching beyond the country in which the organisation is headquartered.
Best People Development Initiative
This category rewards training or development programmes that have substantially raised the understanding and/or skills of the procurement or supply chain management team, and helped to deliver real improvements in performance.
Best Process Improvement Initiative
Entries in this category should focus on how procurement or supply management processes have been upgraded or changed, resulting in demonstrable improvements to business outcomes.
Best Procurement Consultancy Project
This award is to recognise an organisation that supported a procurement function or an organisations’ purchasing and supply activity, through the provision of advice, consultation, training, recruitment or another service on a particular purchasing project. The entry should detail how the procurement function was assisted, evidence of the benefits, how this support went beyond what was in the contract and the lasting legacy of the support.
Best Public Procurement Project
This category is open to all public-sector bodies covered by government procurement regulations (such as Abu Dhabi Government Law #6 or similar). However, projects do not need to have exceeded the thresholds at which tenders must be advertised to qualify for entry.
Best Supplier Relationship Management
This category requires a joint entry by the purchaser and the supplier. In addition to the usual criteria, the entry should explain how the two organisations have worked together and what the benefits have been for both parties, for example capturing innovations, supplier development projects, new product development etc. for mutual benefit.
Most Improved Procurement Operation – Start Up
Judges will be looking for evidence of success from a procurement and supply chain management function that was established after January 2015. This should be an entirely new department, where no professional purchasing has previously existed. The entry should demonstrate how the new function has benefitted the organisation as a whole through effective management and innovation thereby raising the profile of the profession.
Most Improved Procurement Operation – Step Change
In this category, judges will consider changes that have been made within a more mature procurement or supply chain management function – one established prior to January 2015 and operating at a higher level of effectiveness.
Most Innovative Use of Technology
This category rewards procurement and supply chain teams that have used technology in an innovative way to improve performance or efficiency.
Best Procurement Diversity Initiative - NEW FOR 2019
This category is seeking entries from organisations that have implemented successful diversity and inclusion projects. This could include procurement-led employee initiatives or supplier diversity projects that have opened up new opportunities for organisations who are diverse in size, ownership or mission.