Welsh Procurement Service Strengthens its Team with Key Appointments
Ardal, an innovative procurement service led by Cardiff Council, has announced two new appointments to support its collaborative procurement delivery.
Jemma Downes joins as Framework Manager and Erin Ryan-Phillips as Senior Strategy Officer for Carbon.
Key regional procurement frameworks including the well-established SEWSCAP (buildings construction framework), SEWH (highways framework), and SEWTAPS (South East Wales Technical and Professional Services), all sit under the Ardal umbrella.
Jemma joins Ardal with responsibility for leading and coordinating framework activities, ensuring effective management across the collaborative frameworks and will play an important role in continuing the success of the frameworks on a regional, all-Wales, and national level.
Erin is leading Ardal's work in decarbonising its supply chain to support the Welsh Government's ambition of achieving a carbon neutral public sector by 2030. Ardal aims to embed and promote low-carbon choices and circular economy principles into all procurement opportunities, ensuring sustainable procurement is considered at all parts of the procurement lifecycle.
Gemma Ellis, Interim Head of Procurement at Cardiff Council, said:
'I am delighted to welcome Jemma and Erin to the team; Ardal has strong aspirations to deliver procurement differently, meeting the real challenges society faces, and these appointments are crucial to reinforcing our strategy, and meeting our aims and objectives.
'Not only are we focusing on carbon reduction and bringing our supply chain and contractors on that journey, but we aim to lead by example in delivering socially responsible procurement, increased collaboration, and greater community impact. These are our core objectives and the appointment of Jemma and Erin will help us deliver on those.'
Ardal is a collaborative procurement partnership between Cardiff Council, Monmouthshire County Council, Torfaen County Borough Council and the Vale of Glamorgan Council and was formed to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving procurement landscape. It uses its shared collective expertise to provide solutions in line with Welsh Government legislation, including the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
19 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Senedd rejection for renewed calls for M4 relief road
Sam Rowlands described the M4 relief road as a golden opportunity, not only to ease congestion for motorists but also to boost the economy. The Conservatives' shadow finance secretary said the Welsh Government spent £135m of public money on the project before it was scrapped in June 2019. He accused then-first minister Mark Drakeford of breaking a pledge on the £1.6bn relief road and going against an inquiry's finding that the costs would outweigh the benefits two to one. Mr Rowlands told the Senedd: 'At every step of this journey, there's been indecision and money wasted. At the end of it all, it's been the Welsh people who've had to suffer as a result. And nothing has been done to ease congestion around Newport ever since.' Peredur Owen Griffiths, Plaid Cymru's shadow transport secretary, criticised the Tories for calling for a new road through a site of special scientific interest. Calling for a more affordable and environmentally sustainable solution, he raised the lengthy and costly completion of the Heads of the Valleys Road improvements. He told the Senedd: 'After 23 years of roadworks and around £2bn later, [the] Welsh Government will now pay more than £40m a year for 30 years to a private firm before the road will be publicly owned in 2055.' Mr Owen Griffiths, who represents South Wales East, criticised the Welsh Government for being 'too slow' to put forward a genuine alternative solution to M4 congestion. John Griffiths welcomed £445m from the UK spending review for rail in Wales, including three new railway stations planned in his Newport East constituency. Mr Griffiths called for urgency in taking forward the recommendations of the Burns commission 'after far too much delay'. Natasha Asghar said her constituents in South Wales East are regularly faced with bumper-to-bumper traffic and long delays on the route which is not fit for purpose. 'These never ending clogs are not just a nightmare for those stuck in them, they're also a major economic roadblock,' she said. 'The constant gridlock and unreliable nature of the M4 is undoubtedly making Wales a less attractive place to do business.' Senedd members voted 32-12 against the Tory motion following the debate on June 18.
South Wales Argus
19 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Smart lighting upgrade slashes energy use at Newport DWP
Whitecroft Lighting, a leading UK lighting manufacturer, completed the overhaul at nine DWP locations in Wales, including Newport. The project involved swapping outdated lights for modern LED luminaires, significantly boosting efficiency. Whitecroft's pioneering intelligent lighting controls, part of its 'Organic Response' system, adjust lighting levels based on natural light availability. This innovation has made a vast difference in older buildings with inefficient legacy systems. The upgrade is expected to contribute significantly to the DWP's ambitious 45 per cent carbon reduction target. It also aligns with the Welsh Government's sustainability goals. Mark Brunt, regional sales manager at Whitecroft Lighting, said: "When Mitie approached us, we knew we had to deliver a solution that made a real impact on the DWP's carbon reduction targets. "Swapping thousands of outdated lights for LEDs instantly cut energy use by 50 per cent, and with Organic Response, we pushed efficiency even further, achieving up to 80 per cent savings." The upgrade was completed within a two-year timeframe, with minimal disruption to DWP staff and visitors. Whitecroft installed more than 54,000 physical products, including luminaires, sensors, and nodes, making it one of the company's biggest projects to date. Mitie, the facilities management provider, also highlighted the benefits of smart-ready buildings, which provide real-time insights for data-driven decisions, reducing waste and enhancing efficiency. The upgrade future-proofs the lighting in DWP's Welsh estate, making it ready for the next generation of smart building upgrades.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Call from Senedd for legal action over rail and NI funding
The former Plaid Cymru leader warned that a decision to reclassify an Oxford-to-Cambridge railway line as an 'England-and-Wales' project cost Wales £360m in consequential funding. Mr Price asked Welsh ministers: 'If the change was made – as it ostensibly was – without consultation or adequate reasoning, what legal hurdles would the Welsh Government face in bringing a case and what remedies might be available?' Julie James, who is counsel general, the Welsh Government's chief legal adviser, replied: 'I don't think that's something we want to particularly take to court.' Ms James pointed to an extra £445m for rail in Wales in last week's UK Government spending review, welcoming a 'step change' in the level of investment in the past year. But Mr Price suggested the decision to reclassify East West Rail after four years as an England-only project created a legitimate expectation in legal terms for budget planning. During counsel general questions in the Senedd on June 17, he criticised the 'completely unexplained reversal' on the project which has 'no direct nor indirect benefit to Wales'. The shadow justice secretary said: 'That seems to me to amount to a breach of procedural fairness, or potentially even cross the Wednesbury threshold of irrationality because it's a perverse decision – and that's why no real explanation has been proffered.' He urged Welsh ministers to issue a pre-legal action letter compelling the UK Government to disclose the reasoning behind the reclassification. Ms James, who could not explain the four-year delay, replied: 'I don't think that that would be a good use of the government's resources at all.' The Labour politician told the Senedd national planning on heavy rail is done on a England-and-Wales basis, so any scheme in England would proceed as such. Mr Price also suggested legal action over a £72m shortfall in funding from UK ministers to cover the increased cost of national insurance contributions in the Welsh public sector. He told Senedd members the UK Government's statement of funding policy states devolved administrations should suffer no detriment from UK policy decisions.
