We’re over the moon to have won the Best Supplier Relationship Management Award with our client Dublin City Council’s Arts Office and Central Procurement Unit (CPU) at The National Procurement Awards 2026.

Greenville Procurement’s team led by Treasa Brannick O’Cillín worked with Dublin City Council’s Arts Office and Alan Nangle, Head of Procurement in DCC to see how public procurement could better support the delivery of the Office’s strategic objectives while strengthening engagement with the diverse supplier community that underpins Dublin’s cultural sector. We used smart procurement strategy to help develop and sustain the arts and cultural supplier market.

In addition to procurement compliance the challenge was to design a supplier relationship model that would widen access, support supplier development, encourage market participation and create long-term sustainable relationships between Dublin City Council and the arts sector.

Central to the project was the belief that effective supplier relationship management should extend beyond contract award and create an environment in which suppliers can engage, develop and grow over time. This principle ultimately informed the design of the Arts Services Panel and the broader supplier engagement framework that emerged from the project.

Measures to address barriers to participation included proportionate qualification criteria, lot-specific requirements, reduced insurance burdens, dual application routes and a comprehensive supplier engagement programme comprising webinars, targeted communications and sector-wide promotion. The resulting panel structure/lotting strategy was deliberately designed around supplier capability, experience levels and progression pathways rather than solely around service categories.

One of the most significant innovations was the establishment of a six-year open panel model that remains accessible throughout its lifetime, enabling new suppliers to apply at any stage and unsuccessful applicants to receive feedback and reapply.

The Panel was valued at approximately €9.4 million with 112 suppliers appointed to the panel and more than 20 draw-downs completed under Lot 3 within the first year.

We are proud to have won this award against some of the best in private and public sector procurement including Avery Dennison Ireland Ltd, Circle K and Easy2Go.