Gemma Waring is a qualified bid writer, trainer, and coach. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Gemma has worked in the sector for 20 years and her career has been marked by exceptional achievements due to her determination to succeed and her passion for empowering others. Gemma's dedication recently earned her the prestigious title of Runner Up in the APMP UK's annual awards in the Supplier of the Year category and seen her continuously develop her own skills as an advocate of life-long learning.

At the helm of G Waring Consulting Ltd since 2019, Gemma orchestrates success in public sector tendering and procurement projects – securing new business and successful outcomes across the board. Notable accomplishments include bid writing endeavours for blue-chip companies, securing multimillion pound contracts, working with Scottish Government on a national training campaign, and securing successful outcomes in complex multi supplier / multi lot frameworks and DPSs.

In her role as Lead Trainer and Skills Coach for the Bid Coordinator Apprenticeship, Gemma also runs multiple cohorts, shaping training content, and assessing learners for long term development and supporting new entrants to the sector to grow and flourish.

Jane is a Professor in Procurement for the Logistics and Operations Management (LOM) section of Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. Jane’s subject areas for research and teaching include innovation and social public procurement, supply chain management, and collaboration. Jane is the strategic lead for Procurement Labs in a WEFO funded project, Infuse (Innovation of Future Public Services).

Jane is Programme Director for the UK Government funded 'Help to Grow Management' programme delivered at Cardiff Business School aimed at supporting SMEs with business growth. Additional Roles: Member of IRSPP (international research study on public procurement) Branch Chair of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) South Wales Associate Director (MICW) of Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW), Cymru.

As co-founder of Impact Reporting, Reason Digital and MeasureUp, Matt is a self-described "social impact geek" based in Manchester. He brings a wealth of technical experience as well as a huge amount of thought leadership around using technology as a force to drive social good. He’s spent over 15 years supporting purpose-driven organisations and reached tens of thousands of people with his talks at national conferences on topics such as ethical AI and wellbeing. Matt was voted Digital Entrepreneur of the Year at the Digital Entrepreneur Awards. Matt is a strong advocate for the LGBTQ community, having started Pride in Leadership and siting on numerous boards, including akt - the national LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity.

NEPO undertakes high-value procurement in major strategic areas of spend (such as construction, energy, and facilities management) on behalf of North East local authorities and a range of associate members from the wider UK public sector.

At every step of our procurement journey, we collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that their needs are understood and met. So whether you are a public sector colleague, a supplier interested in doing business with us, or an end-user using the goods and services we procure, you can rest assured that we are procuring for you.

Rikesh Shah is a Head of Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre – IPEC at Connected Places Catapult since October 2023. Previously, Rikesh was an Open Innovation and Open Data expert at PA Consulting, and prior to that he was the Head of Open Innovation at Transport for London where he created the organisation’s first Innovation Hub, recognised as one of the best in the public sector in Europe, and he also oversaw the organisation’s world-renowned open data initiative bringing £130m worth of value per annum.

Rikesh is a guest lecturer at the Royal College of Arts and a Mobility Tech Innovator at Harvard University. He is a non-executive advisor at Cities Today, London Transport Museum and See.Sense. He also previously served on the Mayor of London’s Smart London Board, co-chaired the Data and Digital Board at the Institute of Civil Engineering.

Simon joined Procurement Services in 2024 as Associate Director of Procurement, having held senior procurement and commercial positions across both the public and private sectors. A highly experienced procurement expert, Simon is responsible for leading strategic procurement delivery across framework management, managed procurement services and contract management. He is committed to positioning procurement as a true enabler of organisational success through a strategic, collaborative and future-focused approach.

Tarryn launched Procurement Services in 2015, having been with Commercial Services Group leading in procurement roles for KCS since 1987. Now Managing Director of Procurement Services, Tarryn’s role is to lead and deliver ambitious procurement and commercial plans across the Procurement Services portfolio of businesses, whilst ensuring the public sector is provided with compliant, innovative solutions that can better achieve outcomes for organisations and the communities they serve.