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The Scottish Government and Scotland Excel announced as headline partners at Meet the Buyer 2021

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The Supplier Development Programme is set to host Meet the Buyer on 8 June, the headline partners being the Scottish Government and Scotland Excel. As the public sector turns towards economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Meet the Buyer 2021 looks to be the event of the year for engagement with buyers.

As of today, 28 May, 2,000 suppliers have registered to attend this event, and there are three stages in the main agenda: the Inclusive Growth Stage, Sustainability and Innovation Stage, and Community Wealth Building (Supply Chain) Stage.

If suppliers miss a presentation, the sessions will be available within the virtual portal as "on-demand" videos, with the exception of "live Q&A" sessions as denoted. The final films will also be available on the SDP YouTube Channel following the conclusion of the event, so be sure to 'subscribe'!

The full agenda is subject to change at any point, without notice. Expand the slider below to learn more about each stage!

Inclusive Growth Stage

10:15am The City of Edinburgh Council: Meet the "Real" Buyer

  • Address by Stephen Moir, Director of Resource
  • Live Q&A Session
    • Iain Strachan, Chief Procurement Officer at The City of Edinburgh Council
    • Paula McLeay, Policy and Insight Senior Manager at The City of Edinburgh Council

10:45am The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal and Capital City Partnership

  • Presentation by Rona Hunter, CEO of Capital City Partnership
  • Live Q&A Session
    • Graeme Rigg, Senior Programme Officer at The City of Edinburgh Council
    • Rona Hunter, CEO of Capital City Partnership
    • Andy Nichol, ‎Programme Manager (PMO) Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal
    • Julia Laidlaw, Estates Development Manager at University of Edinburgh
    • Jamie Robertson, Strategic Transport Manager at The City of Edinburgh Council

11:30am Visit Exhibition Stands

12:00pm How to Do Business with The City of Edinburgh Council

  • Presentation by Iain Strachan, Chief Procurement Officer
  • Live Q&A Session
    • Iain Strachan, Chief Procurement Officer at The City of Edinburgh Council
    • Lynette Robertson, Commercial and Procurement Delivery Manager at The City of Edinburgh Council

12:30pm Helping You Bid Better: Live Q&A Panel with the Supplier Development Programme

  • Address by Gillian Cameron, SDP Programme Manager
  • Live Q&A Session with SDP's Expert Trainers

2:00pm Glasgow City Region City Deal

  • Address by Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council
  • Address by Kevin Rush, Director for Regional Economic Growth

2:10pm Launch of Glasgow City Region City Deal Contract Pipeline

  • Presentation by Dorothy Balfour, Category Manager at North Lanarkshire Council
  • Live Q&A Session
    • Dorothy Balfour, Category Manager at North Lanarkshire Council
    • Gillian Cameron, SDP Programme Manager
    • Anita Jane Smith, Legacy Officer, Glasgow City Region PMO
    • Colette Keaveny, Communication and Marketing Manager, Glasgow City Region PMO

2:20pm Glasgow City Region City Deal: Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside Project

  • Presentation by Jim Armour, Contracts Manager, Graham Construction
  • Live Q&A Session with Renfrewshire Council and Graham Construction
    • Rebecca Park, City Deal and Infrastructure Team Category Manager at Renfrewshire Council
    • Jim Armour, Contracts Manager, Graham Construction
    • Dylan Rae, Procurement Manager at Graham Construction
2:45pm Glasgow City Region City Deal: Former Exxon Mobil Fuel Depot at Milton Development
  • Presentation by Robin Abram, Capital Projects Manager at West Dunbartonshire Council
  • Live Q&A Session with West Dunbartonshire Council
    • Robin Abram, Capital Projects Manager
    • Michael McGuinness, Economic Development Manager
    • Angus Cameron, Strategic Procurement
    • Andrew Duncan, Senior Procurement Officer
3:15pm Glasgow City Region City Deal: Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure Development
  • Presentation by Jonathan Speed, Senior Project Manager at North Lanarkshire Council
  • Live Q&A Session with North Lanarkshire Council
    • Jonathan Speed, Senior Project Manager
    • Dorothy Balfour, Category Manager

Sustainability and Innovation Stage

10:15am Scotland Excel: "It’s your world – take control"

It’s 2021: the world is dealing with a Global Pandemic, Global Warming is becoming an ever increasing threat, and we are based in Scotland, where we have seen snow in May. This presentation has been designed to appeal to suppliers who are also interested in making a difference within Scotland and will include some key priorities of public procurement, focusing on climate change with local sourcing being key to building stronger communities and encouraging economic recovery.

  • Presentation by Lesley Richard, Scotland Excel Strategic Procurement Manager
  • Followed by Live Q&A with Suppliers
    • Panel representatives from Scotland Excel will cover areas of Fleet, Construction, and Corporate Services
    • Lesley Richard
    • Grant Montgomery
    • Kelly Nugent
    • Stefano Ferracuti

10:45am Visit the Exhibitions

12:30pm Helping You Bid Better: Live Q&A Panel with the Supplier Development Programme

  • Address by Gillian Cameron, SDP Programme Manager

1:00pm Visit the Exhibitions

2:00pm How to Do Business with Fife and Tayside

  • Presentation by Fife Council, Angus Council, Dundee City Council and Perth & Kinross Council
  • Followed by Live Q&A with all four local authorities
    • Fife Council - Caroline MacDonald, Procurement Service Manager and Derek Hamilton, Category Manager
    • Perth and Kinross Council - Lynzi Stewart, Senior Procurement Officer
    • Angus Council - Mark Allan, Procurement & Commissioning Manager
    • Dundee City Council - Karen Lawson, Corporate Procurement

2:45pm BASE: "Scotland's Supported Businesses at the Heart of Scotland's Social & Economic Recovery"

Through the Scottish Government's Sustainable Procurement Duty, Scotland's supported businesses can create sustainable employment opportunities for disabled people across Scotland. Learn more about this important topic from BASE Scotland during Meet the Buyer 2021.

  • Address by Alistair Kerr, Chair of BASE Scotland Region
  • Followed by Live Q&A with Suppliers

3:15pm PfH Scotland’s EESSH2 Framework

Suppliers can gain early insight into the upcoming Energy Efficiency Framework in Social Housing (EESSH) Framework with PfH Scotland, including Lots in Consultancy, On Gas Servicing, Off Gas Servicing, Heating Installations, Renewables, and Whole House Retrofit which includes areas of work like EWI, IWI, Roofing Insulation, Flooring Insulation, Primary Heating, Secondary Heating, Renewables, Glazing, Door Insulation, Windows, and more! Please note: this is an early engagement information session and all suppliers are encouraged to register early for a free Talking Tenders with PfH Scotland webinar with the Supplier Development Programme on 29 June to learn about the specifics of this upcoming framework opportunity.

  • Address by Chris McGinn, Commercial Manager and James Lines, Senior Buyer.
  • Followed by Live Q&A with Suppliers

Community Wealth Building (Supply Chain) Stage

10:15am Joining the Robertson FM Supply Chain

  • Presentation by Robertson FM
  • Followed by Live Q&A with Suppliers
    • Shona Dunsmore, Robertson FM
    • Gemma Gourley, Robertson FM
    • Martin Dick, Robertson FM
    • Graeme Hannah, Robertson FM
    • Callum Macdonald, Robertson FM

11:30am Kype Muir Wind Farm

  • Presentation by Banks Group and RJ McLeod
  • Followed by Live Q&A with Suppliers
    • Robin Winstanley, Banks Group
    • Christina McKitrick, RJ McLeod CSR Manager
    • Lorcan Hayes, RJ McLeod

12:00pm Visit the Exhibitions

12:30pm Helping You Bid Better: Live Q&A Panel with the Supplier Development Programme

  • Address by Gillian Cameron, SDP Programme Manager
  • Followed by a Live Q&A with SDP's expert trainers

1:00pm Visit the Exhibitions

2:00pm Soil Association & Scotland Excel: "Local and Sustainable Sourcing in Scotland’s School Meals - How can suppliers get involved?"

  • Lucie Wardle, Soil Association Scotland Food For Life Supply Chain Officer
  • Laura Muir, Scotland Excel Senior Procurement Specialist
  • Followed by Live Q&A with Suppliers

2:45pm STV Green Fund #FoodHeroScot Campaign: Showcasing Innovation and Creativity of Scotland’s Food and Drink Sector

Have you heard about the campaign aimed at putting sustainability at the heart of Scotland's recovering Food and Drink sector, backed by the STV Green Fund? Learn more about the competition - which has a total prize fund of £250,000 worth of in-kind support services - and how the story of your business making an impact through a commitment to people, community and planet can be showcased.

  • Presentation by Lee Fitzpatrick, Outlaw Social
  • Followed by Live Q&A Session with Businesses

Scottish Government

Scottish Government logo

The Scottish Government will have four stands under its exhibition. Each covering different sectors within the organisation, to enable suppliers to connect with the right people who can help. There will be a variety of materials ready for attendees to download and read while waiting in the queue. The four exhibitions will be set up as:

  • Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) - this stand will be particularly useful for those who are new to tendering and are unfamiliar with the PCS and PCS-Tender websites. Suppliers will have the opportunity to ask anything about the websites and get advice on how to get the most out of them. If during the day, you are asked by public sector buyers, 'Are you registered on PCS?' then this is an exhibition you should definitely visit.
  • Information and Support for Suppliers - this stand will be at the event to help suppliers learn about what support services are available, particularly for Scottish SMEs, third sector organisations and supported businesses that want to know more about the tendering process.
  • Government Collaborative Procurement Utilities - the Collaborative Procurement Division is responsible for letting and managing a range of collaborative agreements, most of which are accessible to the entire Scottish public sector. This exhibition will feature four collaborative portfolios - ICT; Utilises; Corporate & Professional Services; and Construction. The Division also has lead responsibility for the Support Business Framework; the procurement of innovation; and the cross-sectional Collaborative Leads Group. If suppliers are interested in working with any of these sectors, this is the stand you should visit.
  • Procurement Services Division - this stand will be staffed by the Scottish Government procurement team, and they will be ready to talk about upcoming contract opportunities.

Before the event, the Supplier Development Programme suggests that suppliers do some research into each Scottish Government stand, plan who you would like to talk to and what questions you want to ask. More information on this can be found in the joining instructions.

Connecting with Scottish Government

Due to cyber security requirements, there is an additional step for suppliers to take to connect with Scottish Government stand representatives during Meet the Buyer. An exhibition stand notification will state that it is not possible to connect using the live one-to-one video button. Therefore, suppliers should message stand staff representatives through the chat function to ask if they would like to participate in a video call. After a short conversation, suppliers will be given a URL link to a Teams meeting. The supplier must copy and paste the link into a new browser window to connect for a face-to-face virtual meeting with Scottish Government.

The Supplier Development Programme understands that this extra step may be burdensome; however, in this virtual world we are doing our utmost to ensure participation of buyers and decision makers whilst balancing cyber resilience.

Please note: Once you are in a queue, you cannot leave it or you will lose your place.

Scotland Excel logo

Scotland Excel

As well as hosting a virtual exhibition, Scotland Excel will deliver two presentations. The first presentation will be at 10:15am on the Sustainability and Innovation Stage, entitled, Scotland Excel: “It’s Your World – Take Control”. Delivered by Lesley Richard, Strategic Procurement Manager, the presentation is tailored towards suppliers who are interested in making a difference within Scotland and will include some key priorities of public procurement, focusing on climate change with local sourcing being key to building stronger communities and encouraging economic recovery. This will be followed by a live Question and Answer Session, with a panel of representatives from Scotland Excel covering areas of procurement including Fleet, Construction and Corporate Services.

Scotland Excel's other presentation will feature at 2:00pm on the Community Wealth Building (Supply Chain) Stage, in partnership with the Soil Association. The presentation will be delivered by Senior Procurement Specialist, Laura Muir. This will be followed by a live Question and Answer Session, where suppliers will have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have.

If attendees wish to ask Scotland Excel something that is not covered in the presentations, or the Q&A panel does not get to your question, or you just want to get some information on the organisation upcoming contract opportunities you can visit its virtual exhibition stand where a member of its team will be happy to chat with you.

Next Steps

SDP’s headline partners will also be joined by nearly 60 other public and private sector exhibitors, ready to talk with you about future contract opportunities with its organisation. There is still time to book your free place for Meet the Buyer on 8 June. Please register on the Meet the Buyer page on the Supplier Development Programme.

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