Go4Growth podcast.

Social Value has become a key consideration in public sector procurement, but what does it actually mean in practice? In this episode of the Go4Growth Podcast, Louise and Lauren explore the growing importance of Social Value and how organisations can use procurement to deliver wider economic, social, and environmental benefits. Joining the discussion is Lynsey from Nexus Multi-Academy Trust, who s...

In this episode of the Go4Growth Podcast, Lauren and Louise explore the human side of procurement and challenge some of the most common misconceptions surrounding the profession. From perceptions of procurement as “box-ticking” and bureaucratic, to the reality of balancing fairness, value, risk, relationships, and outcomes, this conversation takes listeners behind the scenes of public sector procu...

Episode Summary In this episode of the Go4Growth Podcast, Lauren and Louise explore the growing role of artificial intelligence in bid writing and tender submissions. Using a series of light-hearted “Bid Blunder Files”, they highlight some of the most common mistake’s organisations make when relying too heavily on AI — from American spellings and invented achievements to generic responses and tone...

What really makes a bid stand out to an evaluator? In this episode, Lauren and Louise go behind the scenes of the bidding process to share what buyers actually look for when scoring submissions. Drawing on real evaluation experience, they unpack common mistakes, practical tips, and simple changes that can help suppliers write clearer, stronger, and more scorable bids. Ideal for SMEs, VCSEs, and an...

In this episode of the Go4Growth podcast our host Gill wears a different hat. One of the voluntary roles Gill has is as Trustee of a Multi Academy Trust and today she is joined by the Head of Business Transformation for the Trust (Nexus) and they talk through the role of procurement in Education through the lens of both practitioners and governance. They talk through the journey Nexus has been on...

In this episode, we listen to a podcast version of a recording we made for the CIPS West Yorkshire Branch event back in May 2024. You'll hear Go4Growth co-founder Gillian Askew talk through some facts and stats about the challenges and barriers to working with SMEs through the procurement lens and similarly how the marketplace themselves view the barriers and challenges to working with the pu...

In this episode founder of Go4Growth Gillian Askew talks through some of the key areas of the Procurement Act 2023 which comes into force in October 2024.  In the podcast you can hear about some of the key changes such as:  The bidding process Enhanced transparency MEAT vs MAT Supplier performance and contract management The Central Digital Platform Dynamic markets and frameworks Gillian discusses...

In this episode co-founders of Go4Growth Gill and Jimmy discuss the Carbon Net Zero. They discuss how critical this agenda is and how the focus has really increased over recent years. Jimmy talks through what it's all about and gives an overview of Scopes 1, 2 and 3    Did you know that 80-90% of the total carbon of an organisation will be in one part of Scope 3 emissions? In the Purchased Go...

Episode 13 of the Go4Growth podcast is now live. Episode 13 see's your usual hosts, Gill and Lauren discuss Procurement Reform. The pair discuss the changes expected to come as the Procurement Act 2023 comes into play and how providers to the public sector can prepare for these changes and make the most of resources available. In addition to procurement reform, Gill and Lauren introduce Go4Gr...

Episode 12 is the third instalment in our Procurement Heroes series and although we might be a bit biased, we think this is another really good one!  This time, Gill chats to Mike Fairbotham and Paul Smith about their careers in procurement, how they got into it and the kinds of changes they’ve both seen in our profession over the years. The group also talked about what still needs to change to re...

Episode 11 sees Gill and Lauren discuss their observations on transferable skills between public sector bidding, private sector bidding and business to consumer, retail type stuff.  Secondly the pair run through what Go4Growth's events calendar is likely to look like for 2024 so people get a heads up with what’s coming next year. To keep up to date with Go4Growth's upcoming events visit:...

Episode ten sees Gill and Lauren discuss all things tech and data. The episode explores Go4Growth engagement figures over the past two years,  how we manage our data currently and how we plan to use AI technology going forward.  Ironically, in a podcast when technology is on the agenda, we have a couple of technical glitches during this episode so please bear with us when they do happen. To speak...

Episode nine sees Lauren and Gill discuss Go4Growth's journey to becoming a social enterprise. Gill shares details of useful resources organisations can access to help them in their own journey to becoming a social enterprise. Find links to the resources mentioned in episode nine below: https://www.gov.uk/set-up-a-social-enterprise https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/ https://getpurpose.ly/ I...

Episode 8 introduces the 2nd episode of our procurement heroes series featuring Simon Kempston who is just about to take up the role of Head of Operational Planning at Evri.

Episode 7 sees Gill and Lauren discuss the ways in which Go4Growth work to support businesses who are interested in working with the public sector, the types of support frequently requested and how the support can be accessed.  Episode seven also introduces Go4Growth's most recent development PSSR. What is it? How does it work? When will it be available? Listeners can find out more about Go4G...

 Introducing the Procurement Heroes Series. We’re starting close to home with Gill & Lauren from Go4Growth. Gill’s been in Procurement for nearly 30 years and so has seen much change over that time. She’ll share her experiences of being a woman in Procurement in what was a male dominated profession, working also in male dominated industries and how the gender balance landscape is slowly changi...

Episode 5 of the Go4Growth Podcast sees the team get together to discuss all things Carbon Net Zero. Gill and Lauren are joined on this episode by Go4Growth directors Sheri-Leigh Miles and Jimmy Brannigan. To connect with Sheri-Leigh and Jimmy, below are links to their LinkedIn pages: linkedin.com/in/jimmy-brannigan-325ba98 linkedin.com/in/sheri-leigh Listeners can also contact Go4Growth by emaili...

Episode two of the Go4Growth podcast see's the team host a Q&A session with procurement officer Toni Hanson from Barnsley council and John Mellor from Enterprising Barnsley. The Q&A covers spend goals, support for local providers and tips for a successful bid.

Welcome to the Go4Growth podcast.