NEPO’s public procurement excellence is recognised as it's shortlisted in four categories at this year’s prestigious Go Awards.

The annual GO Awards, organised by BiP Solutions, celebrate the very best procurement achievements from public, private and third sector organisations across the UK.

NEPO has been shortlisted for the following categories:

1. Social Value Award for their work alongside Corona Energy to deliver social value within NEPO302 Gas, recognising NEPO’s commitment to delivering positive social impact through procurement activities, fostering sustainable growth and community development. Used by 42 public sector organisations across the UK, NEPO’s gas solution features social value commitments totalling £182k.

2. Contract and Supplier Management Award for demonstrating best practice in the contract management of the NEPO521 Early Payment Service solution, highlighting the strong relationship between NEPO and the framework’s sole supplier Oxygen Finance, ensuring optimal performance, risk mitigation and value for money on this framework.

3. Procurement Team of the Year, acknowledging the leadership, innovation and collaborative efforts of NEPO’s procurement team in delivering excellence, driving efficiency and best practices in public sector procurement.

4. Adam Smith, Head of Commercial and Technology, for Individual of the Year. Since joining NEPO in 2014, Adam has gone above and beyond to drive the digital transformation of collaborative procurement in the North East, particularly through Adam’s role in leading the ambitious development and implementation of Open, NEPO’s e-procurement platform. Open is a flagship project within NEPO, developed and to automate and integrate the end-to-end procurement lifecycle. Open is free to register and free to use, and advertises 6,000 opportunities for public sector procurement a year: open-uk.org

Nicola Shelley, managing director, said: “We are thrilled to be named finalists in four categories at this year’s Go Awards. Recognition in these esteemed categories pinpoints the hard work, dedication and innovation of our team, as well as our commitment to delivering value for money and driving positive social impact through procurement.”

The winners of the Go Awards 2024 will be announced at a formal ceremony on 16 May at Titanic Hotel in Liverpool, where NEPO looks forward to celebrating alongside other industry leaders and innovators in public procurement.