Exciting additions to Excellence Awards

Crescent Purchasing Consortium's 2026 CPC Excellence Awards are now mere weeks away and CPC is pleased to announce some exciting additions to this day of connections and celebrations, to be held at The Lowry Hotel in our home of Salford.

This year, for the very first time, CPC will couple up the awards with a brand-new exhibition, designed to offer attending CPC members a golden opportunity to meet various suppliers in person and learn how they can support their procurement needs.

As part of this, we are pleased to announce a pair of expert discussions with CPC procurement pros, under the following titles:

🗓️ Session One: The Procurement Act: One Year On (12pm-12.45pm)

💬 Session Two: Procurement Surgery Q&A Session (1.15pm-2pm) 🤔

On hand to share their expertise as Skilled Practitioners of the Procurement Act and ready to tackle a range of other key topics:

• Peter McMullan

  Head of Contracting Services, Crescent Purchasing Consortium

• Jack Horton

  Customer Engagement Manager, Crescent Purchasing Consortium

• Mark Pearson

  Procurement L&D Lead, Crescent Purchasing Consortium

On top of that, we are delighted to share news of our very special guest, who will be joining the festivities as keynote speaker.

TV personality, published author and founder of Siddiqui Education, Baasit Siddiqui has made it his mission to close the gap between potential and opportunity and comes to our event with over 15 years of experience, talking to hundreds of schools.

A former teacher and a Head of Department of ICT, Business and Computer Science, working across Key Stages 3 to 5, Baasit completed his PGCE at tenured CPC member institution, Nottingham Trent University, and he has spent the best part of eight years as an Educational Consultant for Tes (formerly the Times Educational Supplement).

Readers though may best recognise Baasit from his role on the BAFTA-winning Channel 4 smash Gogglebox, being part of the reality/reaction show since it arrived on screens in 2013, taking in TV treats alongside father, Sid and brothers, Umar and Raza.

Want to hear Baasit speak in person and reap the benefits of his insights, as well as those of our CPC procurement specialists?

Keen to meet new contacts that can help to drive savings and innovations back at your school, academy, college or university?

You can, for free! That's right, CPC members can be a part of our afternoon exhibition event at the Lowry Hotel in Salford without paying a penny and take in all these talks for free; simply register below and we'll look forward to welcoming you.

The event itself will take place on Friday 26th June. A showcase of UK education procurement successes, the CPC Excellence Awards was born in 2024 as the CPC Supplier Excellence Awards, evolving after two successful editions to provide a platform for our 10,000+ members to celebrate their achievement.

Kicking off at 11am, this member/supplier stakeholder summit will look to nurture new and beneficial relationships between UK education institutions and trusted service providers, with CPC serving as its central facilitator (a finish of 2pm is expected).

Then, after several hours of valuable networking, idea sharing and talks, CPC will advance to the Excellence Awards section of the day, with a range of categories to recognise top-notch CPC supplier performance, while commending standout members.

This portion is set for a 2.30pm start, with a complimentary meal for shortlisted entrants and our proceedings closing at 7pm.

In addition, we can confirm the panel of independent award judges, who will shortly be assessing the nominees' applications:

• Louisa Clarke

  Director, One Feather Coaching

• Lisa Davenport

  CEO, Moss Side Millennium Powerhouse

• Simon Jacobs

  Director, Professional Weirdos

• Katherine Jarvis

  Head of Procurement, Care Fertility

• Julie-Ann Garton

  Managing Director, North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium

• Ian Gregg

  Chief Property Officer, Riverside Group

• Mike Haslin

  Chief Executive, The University Caterers Association

• Peter Kane

  Head of Estates and Facilities Management, Belfast Metropolitan College

• Robert​​​​ Nieri

  Legal Director, Shoosmiths LLP Solicitors

Whether you're a valued part of CPC's vast supply chain or among our thousands of members across the education and wider public sectors, there's plenty to get involved with on Friday 26th June, as CPC brings this celebration of excellence to Salford...

For further information on the forthcoming CPC Excellence Awards, visit our dedicated website or make enquiries here. 🏨