Scotland Excel Annual Conference 2025

Conference Recordings & Presentations - click each heading to view

Day 1 — Innovation & Services — 26 August 2025

Tom Arthur MSP — Keynote Address

Latest policy direction and strategic priorities shaping Scotland’s future.

  • Duration: 6:31

Challenges & Opportunities in the Commissioning of Social Care

Jane O’Donnell, Chief Executive COSLA — exploring reform and the role of commissioning.

Challenges & Opportunities in the Commissioning of Social Care

Dr Ron Culley, CEO, Quarriers — actions for a resilient, person-centred future.

Scotland’s Economic Outlook

Professor Mairi Spowage, Director, Fraser of Allander Institute.

Words Matter – Make them Count

Sarah Hanson, Interactifs UK — language, influence and relationships.

Designing & Tendering for Services in Partnership — WAYfinder

Rachel Mackay (Glasgow City HSCP), Jim McBride (Glasgow City HSCP), Grant Campbell (Homeless Network Scotland).

Lend me your Ears – To fall back on your feet

Sarah Hanson, Interactifs UK — listening, clarity and outcome-driven conversations.

Customer First

Sharon Christie & Lesley Richards — transforming engagement to put member needs and outcomes first.

Day 2 — Value, Risk & Governance — 27 August 2025

Keynote — The 21st Century Public Servant

Pippa Milne, Chief Executive, Argyll & Bute Council — evolving leadership across systems and communities.

Delivering The Promise

James Mackenzie (SXL) & Andrew Rome (Revolution Consulting) — challenges in children’s care and the commissioning response.

Opportunities within Collaboration

David Owens (SXL) — tools to model cost sensitivity and enable frank value decisions.

Group A — Building Trust & Transparency

Sarah Hanson, Interactifs UK — practical habits for clearer, more collaborative conversations.

Group B — Responding: First Principles

Holly Young, Interactifs UK — decoding intent and responding effectively under pressure.

Technology Enabled Care & the Digital ARC

Sam Jones (SXL), Shaun Moscrop (Chubb), Gary Baillie (Bield) — shared procurement & national alignment for safer services.




Scotland Excel Annual Conference 2024

Please find the session links below from our extremely successful 2024 Annual Conference:

Role, remit and why championing competition and the needs of Scottish consumers matters

Technology - the need of “interoperability” and thinking differently as a wider public sector

Commercial agreements supporting public sector banking requirements to drive innovation and value for money


Profit for a Purpose or Risky Business?

Our Journey to Net Zero – reflections from the Electric Vehicle Charging Sector


Guarding The Public Purse - Recognising Criminal Behaviour in Procurement

On 20 March 2022, Scotland Excel and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) hosted a webinar showing how to recognise when serious organised crime, price fixing and cartels pose a risk to procurement.

The recording of the webinar and the slide decks presented are available below:

Scotland Excel slide pack including Q&A

CMA slide pack including Q&A


Scotland Excel Annual Conference 2023

Please find the session links below from our extremely successful 2023 Annual Conference:

Skills For A Changing World

Blue Ocean Thinking

Progressing Climate Change Adaptation

Working Differently With Our Communities

Net Zero and Public Procurement

Procurement risk – what you need to know!

On 10 October 2022, Scotland Excel, Scottish Government and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) hosted a webinar giving an introduction to what serious organised crime (SOC) is and how to identify and report anti-competitive practices in public procurement. 

The webinar can be viewed here.

The recording of the webinar and the slide decks presented are available below:

Chris Gibson (Scotland Excel) - Slide deck

Sean McNabb (CMA) - Slide deck

Signposting Slide

Book a place on our next 'DETERing Serious Organised Crime from Public Contracts and Supply Chains' short course.


Pathfinder Programme - Community Wealth Building

In partnership with Scottish Government, Scotland Excel has developed a Community Wealth Building Toolkit. This aims to deliver local capability and impact on inclusive and green economic growth through a Community Wealth Building (CWB) lens.


Focussing on the ‘Progressive Procurement’ pillar of Community Wealth Building, the Toolkit sets out a project comprising several streams of activity. Advocating the Scottish Model of Procurement and focussing on the power of public spending, the toolkit supports the delivery of strategic objectives and sustainable economic growth.

To access the toolkit click the link: Pathfinder Programme -Community Wealth Building


Scotland Excel Annual Conference 2022

The Future of Professional Procurement Development

The outcomes of the nine groups who participated in a force field analysis exercise exploring the needs for the future of professional procurement development are illustrated in these PowerPoint slides.

The full data set and analysis can be viewed in this Excel spreadsheet.


Please find the session links below from our extremely successful 2022 Annual Conference:

Understanding the Local Authority Landscape in 2022

Keeping 1.5 Alive

Turning 'waste into opportunity' through Circular Cities and Regions

Supply Chain Disruption, Development and Resilience

Advancing Towards Net Zero Buildings

Cheating or competing?

Challenges facing councils in 2022 and beyond 

The following link also has Speaker follow up responses to questions posed by our delegates.


Scotland Excel Procurement Week at The Academy 2021

This year's Scotland Excel Conference took on a new, virtual format, delivering interactive content across five topic streams.

You can view the 33 video presentations from each of the sessions below. Please feel free to share these with your colleagues and follow us on our social media channels Twitter, LinkedIn and the Academy's Twitter account


Monday 7th June 2021 - Climate Emergency and Sustainability

Tackling the Climate Emergency Delivering Dundee City Council’s Climate Action Plan

Scottish Procurement Climate Forum

Setting Scotland's Roadmap to Recovery and Recycling our Way to a More Sustainable Future

H2 Aberdeen, a Pioneering Hydrogen City

Driving Quality and Skills within the Energy Efficiency Industry to help transition to net zero

Net Zero Emissions in the Built Environment Panel Discussion

Sustainable Homes for the Future


Wednesday 9th June 2021 - Community Wealth Building

Democratic by Design: A New Community Wealth Building Vision for the British Economy After Covid-19

Integrating Health and Wellbeing into Economic Recovery

Community Wealth Building in Practice: Panel Discussion

Community Benefits...Delivered

Local Supplier Development

Empowering Citizens through MyAccount

Promoting Supported Businesses through Innovative Frameworks: Panel Discussion

Thursday 10th June - People of Tomorrow

You are the Future!

Procurement People of Tomorrow

Contract & Supplier Management Fundamentals

Negotiation Skills

The Future of Technology in Procurement

Project Management Fundamentals


Thursday 10th June - Leadership in a Post Covid-19 World

Turning Public Procurement Group Priorities into Reality

Post Covid19 + Brexit, Business Continuity, Supply Chains and Sustainability

A Changing Nation: How Scotland Will Thrive in a Digital World

Cyber Security & Resilience

DETER: Tackling Serious Organised Crime

The Future Workplace

Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce

Friday 11th June - Social Care

The Future Policy Direction: Panel Discussion

The Future Policy Direction - Q&A

The Future of Social Care Commissioning and Procurement: Have Your Say

Light Touch Regime

Fair Work Principles in Social Care: Panel Discussion

Social Care: Positive Disruption through Story - Realising the Power of Procurement and Compassion


Scotland Excel Annual Conference 2020

Day 1
Day 2


Contract and Supplier Management

Please find below the latest Local Government Sector CSM Strategy document.

CSM Strategy November 2019


Coaction 2019

60 participants from across the Scottish public-sector gathered together at Glasgow Caledonian University to debate how best we can develop our workforces now and in the future (22 August 2019).  

Speaker slides and content

Coaction 2019 National Roadmap


Scotland Excel Annual Conference 2019
Day 1
Day 2
Workshops


Demand Management Challenge Tools
The 5 Whys
The Worry Matrix
The Eisenhower Box
Placemat
Options Appraisal


Procurex 2018

Maximising Economic Impact Workshop

Zoe Fance (South Ayrshire Council), Pamela Smith (Falkirk Council) and Stephen Brannagan (Scotland Excel) facilitated the "Maximising Economic Impact" Workshop during the Procurex annual conference on 26 October 2018.
The downloadable PDF file captures the content and outcomes.


Find Your Path to Procurement Success

Ian McNaught (Scotland Excel) delivered "Find Your Path to Procurement Success" during the Procurex annual conference on 26 October 2018.
This presentation explored our community's approach to innovative work-based-learning and shared the Scotland Excel Academy's portfolio, supporting our path to procurement success.


Contract and  Supplier Management 2017
The Professional Practice and Development Strategic Forum (PPDSF) hosted a workshop, led by Scotland Excel, which focused on understanding the barriers to effective CSM in the public sector, and how these can be overcome.
The workshop was attended by representatives from Central Government and the education, health and local government sectors.
Following the workshop, a paper was produced which summarised the key findings for the day, which will be used to inform change and support in this important area.
You can download the outputs from the day in this section here.


CSM Workshop 2017

Scotland Excel hosted a best practice CSM workshop in Dundee. The workshop was attended by representatives from Central Government and the local government sectors. You can access the slide pack from the day here.


Customer Templates
This section contains sample documents, templates and materials available for Scotland Excel Members:
Benefits Tracker


Support & Guidance
Strategy Development 
Implementation Plans and Exit Strategies 
Evaluation Criteria


Online Procurement Development Framework
We have produced a quick reference guide  to allow you to complete the Online Procurement Development Framework (OPDF)

Last modified: Tuesday, 9 September 2025, 1:45 PM