FIVE TIPS FOR DEVELOPING AN ENTRY

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Individual Awards

 

1. Procurement Achievement Xcelerator Award

 

This award is open to individuals whose efforts have had a significant impact on the wider organization or they have secured procurement a seat at the management table. This can be as a result of a project, long-term initiative or through a best practice in the procurement arena. There must be demonstrated procurement acumen and ingenuity in tackling genuine procurement challenges.

 

2. Career Achievement Xcelerator Award

The winner of this award will be a long time proponent of procurement and a leader of the growth of the procurement function throughout his or her career.  His or her achievements will be well recognized among the procurement community for their innovation, adeptness at applying procurement principles to solve difficult issues or advancing public procurement.

 

Agency or Team Awards

 

1. Innovation Xcelerator Award

To be innovative is not only to think of new ideas, it is also to advance them and achieve results beyond what was expected.

 

This award recognizes a procurement or sourcing project, action or initiative that has demonstrated true innovation or has realized a significant improved transformation of the procurement function. The award is presented to a team that can demonstrate a distinct new method or approach to a challenging issue; significant improvement to the quality of a function; or taking an already high-performing function to the next level.

 

2. Collaboration Xcelerator Award

All procurement teams have to collaborate with other functions, but results are achieved only through successful collaborative efforts with clear aims.

 

This award recognizes a procurement team that has successfully worked with another function from the same organization or with an external agency or supplier to deliver a successful project or initiative. The award is presented based on how collaboration has successfully influenced the outcome.

 

3. Supply Chain Management Xcelerator Award

Consistency, cost, risk management and sustainability standards are vital factors in successful supply chain management and ultimately determine how effectively an organization can serve its internal or external customers.

 

This award will be presented to the organization that has implemented an initiative or practice that has most positively influenced the performance of the organization’s supply chain.  This could be a specific integration project or longer-term aim that achieves significant results such as enhanced cost or risk management; increasing supplier participation; implementing sustainability or green purchasing standards; or advancing agency or state purchasing goals.

 

4. Learning & Development Xcelerator Award

It is important for staff in any organization to develop their skills and experience through continuous learning, which often leads to greater retention and improved results.

 

This award recognizes organizations that are going beyond the acquisition and maintenance of professional certification for staff. They are using learning and development to solve a specific problem in their procurement organization or to address an upcoming challenge such as the retirement of their experienced workforce. Operated either in-house or in affiliation with an external entity, the winning organization will be able to show clear educational or career development for procurement staff through their learning and development program.

 

5. Statewide Electronic Procurement “eVA” Xcelerator Award

Automation plays a key role in developing and implementing innovative, collaborative or transformative solutions to procurement challenges.

 

This award recognizes an agency team that has successfully used eVA to advance procurement in the agency. The winning entry will demonstrate how technology was used as a positive force for change, with clear evidence of the benefits that have materialized for the agency.

 

 

 

FIVE TIPS FOR DEVELOPING YOUR XCELERATOR AWARD ENTRY

 

Tip 1

Keep it concise and focus on the benefits. Reviewers are  looking for tangible evidence of success in every entry. Without this, it is extremely difficult to make a call on whether a project or individual deserves recognition.

 

Tip 2

Write like a journalist. Trained journalists write the most important information first, then move onto the second most important, and so on. Adopting this style means that reviewers will be more likely to engage with your entry.

 

Tip 3

Check for spelling and mistakes. Make sure your entry is proofread, spell-checked and reviewed by several people. It may be worthwhile asking a non-staff member to read it also, as often assumptions of knowledge are included.

 

Tip 4

Every great success can only be judged within its context. Ensure you tell the story. Why was your project essential? Where was the procurement function before the transformation? What was happening before risks was mitigated, etc?

 

Tip 5

Reviewers want to see results. How have those results helped the wider organization? Be sure to link the results to your objectives and allow the reviewers to see your successes in that context.

 

 

The Virginia Beach Convention Center 1000 19th Street Virginia Beach, VA, 23451 - November 16-18