The Argyll and Bute Council procurement team has been honoured for outstanding achievement at this year’s Government Opportunities (GO) Excellence in Public Procurement Awards Scotland. The team were crowned winners in the Best Customer Engagement Initiative of the YearAward.

The award recognises either a single procurement activity or series of procurement initiatives within Scotland that have demonstrated an unwavering focus on outcomes for those who use public services.

Argyll and Bute Council picked up the award for work done on a roads capital works contract with Breedon Aggregates for Kintyre and the Islands. 30 % of Argyll and Bute’s road network is on the islands and Kintyre has many of the characteristics of an island when it comes to roads because of the long distance from the nearest quarry. 

Decisions are made about what parts of the road network on the islands needs treatment every spring when the effects of winter can be judged. Each contract for surfacing or patching was awarded individually which meant contractors would bring equipment and materials for the contract along with a workforce. This was happening three to five times in a single summer on each island which meant much higher costs.

The roads team came up with the idea to award a single contractfor all machine patching, surface dressing, resurfacing and overlay works on the islands of Mull, Coll, Tiree, Colonsay, Islay and Jura as well as the mainland area of Kintyre. The procurement team worked with their roads colleagues to design and deliver this innovative contract. It was created to make efficiencies and savings through maximising the use of both council and contractor resources and sharing risk and rewards. 

Council Leader Dick Walsh said. “I’m delighted the procurement team have won this award, they were up against some stiff competition. The roads and amenity team also deserve recognition for the hard work they put in as well. The single contract for road treatments on the islands and Kintyre is an excellent idea which has made a real difference to isolated communities. The single contract allows for a full partnership between the contractor and the council.”

The Awards ceremony was held on the evening of the Scottish Government Seventh National Public Procurement Conference on 25 October at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow.