Blogs

Laurie Carberry has announced she is stepping down as Chair of the Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA).

Laurie, who has been six years in the role, will continue to be involved as a participant at SPA meetings.

Having been in post since August 2016, Laurie has been pivotal to the committee’s continued success.

During her time, she has transformed the view of the committee, recognising the value of these meetings to share knowledge and learnings, meet and collaborate with industry peers, and broaden and inform SPA’s solutions.

Laurie said “Being chair of SPA’s committee for the last six years has been an incredible privilege. I’m extremely proud of how we’ve grown and harnessed a collaborative environment where we can share knowledge, explore challenges and assist in shaping the direction of SPA.

“I’ve seen so much progress in this time with the development of new frameworks and the growth of organisations using SPA, alongside the introduction of its added value services programme, but, most importantly, the incredible impact of the community benefit fund. We’ve established a platform that revolves around collaboration and engagement.

“I’m excited to continue contributing as a participant and witness the committee’s ongoing success.”

The SPA committee is made up of 13 organisations from housing associations and co-operatives, as well as local authorities. Each nominated member works within a procurement, technical or community benefit capacity which provides them with an opportunity to add their experiences to the conversations.

Launched in 2016, at the same time as SPA was formed. The committee has continued to be a valuable discussion platform for committee members to share industry knowledge and insights, to learn about challenges and for SPA to obtain feedback on proposals and future direction, as well as understand what the market needs which creates opportunities to build on SPA solutions.

Two years ago, Laurie joined the LHC Procurement Group (LHCPG) board, representing SPA and Scottish organisations at a more influential level by bringing first hand experiences and issues faced in delivering for communities across Scotland and shaping the future of the group.

Lesley Peaty, regional director at SPA thanked Laurie for her service.

She said: “I would like to place on record how grateful I am for Laurie’s contributions and leadership over the past six years. Her passion and commitment to growing the committee has been truly inspiring and her support, ideas and suggestions have created a platform that places real emphasis on the power of collaboration.”

SPA will be recruiting for a new committee chair to lead this group into its next phase, building on the collaborative success gained under Laurie’s leadership. This role is open to all of SPA’s thirteen committee partners.