The Operational Excellence Award

Supported by

An award that recognises excellence in public services.  This could include recognition of where:

• Customer needs have been placed at the heart of the design and implementation of the policy/project
• Effective partnerships have been established between civil servants and front line staff
• Services to the public have been demonstrably improved

The Change Management Award

Supported by

An award for a team or individual that has delivered a successful change management programme for the benefit of their team or department. Successful programmes will have delivered value for money while demonstrating evidence of sharing of best practice. Submissions should identify clearly how the change programme has delivered improvement in the following key areas:

• Leadership and Talent Management
• Resource Management
• Learning and Development
• Employee Engagement and Wellbeing
• Performance Management

The Achieving Better for Less Award

Supported by

An award that recognises where a team or individual has used creativity in meeting the challenge of delivering better for less; responding to or planning for a decline in income to maintain or improve service quality while cutting costs; using creative policy making to achieve the same outcomes in a streamlined and inclusive way; finding innovative ways of reducing regulation and inspiring others to avoid regulating. The winner is likely to have:

• Analysed and understood the opportunities for improvement
• Achieved radical business process improvement through lean measures, preparing an organisation or team for a decline in income
• Creatively introduced a policy which delivers the desired outcome by working with and through others
• Radically changed the team or organisation's approach to regulating
• Implemented a continuous learning and improvement culture

The Analysis and use of Evidence Award

Supported by

An award that recognises excellence in the way knowledge is managed, this could include:

• Improving results by placing robust evidence and analysis at the heart of the decision–making process
• Capturing knowledge and data from a wide variety of disciplines and sources, including from inside and outside government where appropriate, and using this information to influence policy development and deliver better results for end users
• Ensuring that learning is captured and can be disseminated to others to help spread good practice elsewhere
• Using management of information to improve services to the customer

The Financial Management Award

Supported by

An award that recognises where an individual or team has delivered excellence in financial management. This might include:

• Provision of quality financial information and guidance that has enabled optimal decision-making and resource usage
• Financial planning and management that has been embedded across the organisation
• Delivery of new financial systems and services which are robust, flexible and fast and fully designed to meet customers’ needs
• Implementation of an activity-based budgeting process

The Diversity & Equality Award

Supported by

A winner of winners from the Civil Service Diversity & Equality Awards; an award that recognises real achievement and success.

The Science, Engineering and Technology Award

Supported by

An award that recognises best practice in the innovative use of science and technology as part of the policy making, operational delivery, or business planning process.

• Using science, engineering and technology effectively in policy development or delivery.
• Providing the scientific tools needed for the development or delivery of effective evidence-based policy.
• Significant SET developments that may not have a measurable impact for a number of years.
• Developing innovative new tools for effective delivery of government services.
• Encouraging the use of innovative scientific, engineering and technological advances in government to improve efficiency and value for money.
• Communicating the social, environmental and economic implications of scientific and technical approaches effectively.

The Innovation Award

Supported by

An award that recognises where innovation has been used successfully to address an issue or challenge. This might include:

• How an innovative approach has resulted in a step up from business as usual and delivered real benefits to end users
• A project that has worked in “open innovation” mode by consulting stakeholders, including front line workers and end users
• Where learning has been captured and disseminated for application in other areas

The Public Value Award

Supported by

An award that recognises outstanding contributions to the creation of public value, which could include:

• A clear understanding of the benefits to be gained by consumers/users, citizens and taxpayers from a more efficient use of resources
• The quality of a service being maintained in the case of resource reductions or improved in greater proportion to existing or additional resources

The Collaboration Award

Supported by

An award that recognises where activity has transcended institutional barriers including:

• Establishing effective joint working arrangements that bring together colleagues from multiple teams, departments or other organisations
• Clearly identifying and communicating the benefits of a collaborative approach
• Delivering improved, coordinated and efficient services to end users

The Communication Award

Supported by

An award that recognises where an individual or team has delivered strong and successful communication that:

• Is built on an insight of customer needs
• Resonates with the target audience and changes behaviours
• Makes a real and positive difference

The Leadership Award

Supported by

An award open to any individual that has demonstrated excellence in leadership.  This might include:

• Achieving great results through strong leadership within a team or organisation and/or across traditional boundaries
• Putting pride, pace, passion and professionalism into practice
• Exemplifying the core values and behaviours set out in the Civil Service Code

The Procurement Award 

Supported by

An award recognising good practice in public procurement, demonstrating:

• Who has benefited and by how much, clearly and simply
• Tangible evidence of collaboration in procurement, with demonstrable efficiency gains
• Evidence of sustainability, transparency and control in procurement practice
• Extensive participation of procurement professionals and commitment to training

The Project and Programme Management Award 

Supported by

An award recognising good practice in project and programme management, open to any individual or team that can demonstrate:

• Appropriate application of recognised PPM skills and methods
• Evidence of sound sponsorship of the project/programme and clear appreciation of the customer supplier environment
• Clarity about pre-agreed benefits and evidence of their delivery

The Volunteering Award

Supported by

An award that recognises individuals or teams that have taken part in social action and volunteering. Successful examples might include Civil Servants that:

• Have initiated and launched schemes that foster volunteering by public servants.
• Are involved in projects through which they’ve given their own time or money to help people or voluntary and community organisations in need.
• Have used their professional skills to support a charity or voluntary and community sector group.
• Have used the experiences and skills that have gained through volunteering to gain an insight into the impact of government policy on the ground.
• Have given a significant amount of their time or raised a significant sum of money to a charity or voluntary and community sector group.
• Have set up local community groups or organised others in their community to address a local issue.

The Cabinet Secretary Award

Supported by

At the ceremony itself, Sir Gus O’Donnell will announce a “winner of winners” for 2011, deciding from all of the winners which one has:

• Most clearly demonstrated pride, passion, pace and professionalism
• Strongly embodied the values and behaviours of the Civil Service Code