A major player in Scotland’s thriving procurement sector has appointed renowned expert Lesley Anderson (pictured above) as its permanent head.

Now she will drive the development of the Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA), which has £1.1billion of contracts under management and is also delivering a benefits scheme worth millions of pounds for local communities.

Lesley, who has 27 years in the public and private procurement sector and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, said: “Our role in supporting the delivery of projects for public sector organisations is crucial in the growth of communities.

“The projects procured through our solutions offer access to facilities and provides opportunities for children and adults of all ages to thrive within their improved surroundings.

SPA supports councils, housing associations, blue light services, the NHS, further and higher education providers and many other public bodies to build, maintain and refurbish vital social housing and public buildings.”

He added: “Across the supply chain that means hundreds of Scottish SMEs get the chance to bid for and win lucrative work that creates jobs and employment across the country.

But the most rewarding part is that, as a proud not for profit organisation, we also put our surpluses back into the communities where we operate, through our innovative Community Benefit Fund, which enriches and improves thousands of lives.

It makes me incredibly proud to take up this role and to further this commitment to Scottish communities, our partners and to lead a team of people who consistently impress me.”

SPA is Scotland’s largest free-to-join procurement organisation, ensuring its 120 partners can use its extensive frameworks to secure the works and services they need while being confident that the delivery is fully compliant and achieves value for money.

It was founded in 2016 as the Scottish business unit of the LHC Procurement Group (LHC), which has been supporting public sector organisations across the UK with technical procurement expertise for over 50 years.

That gives it insight at a local, regional and national level into the challenges and priorities for the public sector and it applies this knowledge to develop solutions that meet the evolving needs of its partners.

Lesley, who joined SPA in 2017 has now been appointed Regional Director and will lead the 12-strong Scottish team, based in Livingston, West Lothian.

They aim to further develop the suite of free, added value services offered to partners, including specialist technical, procurement and social value advisory support. Lesley’s team will also build on the successes of the SPA Community Benefit Fund (CBF), delivered by long-standing housing charity partner, Lintel Trust.

Since 2017 the CBF has delivered more than £1.7million of grants and match funding to scores of community groups, charities and causes. Projects have included Holiday Hunger programmes, community gardens, employability initiatives, digital inclusion, apprenticeship support funds and specialist mental health services.

These projects have helped improve the lives of at least 19,000 people while delivering social value of more than £3.9 million.

LHC Group Managing Director, Clive Feeney said: “Lesley has an outstanding reputation within the procurement industry. Her impressive CV is backed up with a fantastic track record.

She’s already taken great strides in making sure we work more closely than ever with our partners to deliver exactly what they need and her commitment to delivering benefits to Scottish communities is firmly rooted. I wish Lesley every success going forward in what is a very exciting time for SPA.”

SPA’s 120 partners cover a diverse range of public sector entities from small cooperatives, regional and national registered social landlords (RSLs), as well as local authorities.