GEM Awards logo
On Monday 9 October 2023, we celebrated with our suppliers at our GEM Awards. Open exclusively to our suppliers, the GEM (‘Going the Extra Mile’) Awards highlight the innovative and impactful contributions our suppliers make across the business.

It was great to be back together, as the last time we hosted the awards was before Covid in 2019. There were over 140 people there from a range of large and small businesses from across our supply areas. The awards help to keep our strong relationships with our suppliers and make us an unrivalled partner, which will be vital as we gear up for AMP8. 

 

We wanted to make sure that the night benefitted the local economy as much as possible. So, we held the event at The Fed in Dunston, which is run by northeast business, Ramside Events. We also worked with other suppliers in the region, Big Purple for the sound, lighting and decoration, Printed.com for the printing of programme cards, NE Trophies who provided the sustainable bamboo trophies for our winners and in a change for runners up this year, we presented them with a certificate and a ‘Treephie’ instead.

 

The team at Ingram Valley will now use our ‘Treephie’ donation to plant some ornamental oak trees at the entrance to the beautiful valley in Northumberland, that the runners up will be able to visit and watch their trees grow over the years to come. We also held a raffle on the night with our generous suppliers donating over £1,500 to company charity WaterAid towards the vital work they do. 

 

GEM Awards logo

There were 12 awards presented on the night and the winners and runners up were:

A customer focused approach is a key pillar of our values.

 

We love our customers and we make sure they are at the heart of everything we do. We are looking for a supplier who delivers world class customer service and an unrivalled customer experience while delivering excellent outcomes for NWG.

 

WINNER: Mazaru / Writing it Well!

 

RUNNER UP: Esh Construction, NWG, Jetaire, Pipetek / Our Customer, Our Family

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE
 Mott MacDonald Bentley  

 Harrowgate Hill Rising

 Main Replacement

 Scheme

 Shout Digital  

 Shout Digital - an agency

 with customer experience

 at its heart

 Mazaru    Writing it Well!
 Bluewave Technology Ltd  

 Revolutionising customer

 experience for

 developers with a self

 service portal and

 application platform

 Esh Construction  Jetaire, Pipetek  Our Customer, Our Family
Part of our plan is to be leading in innovation within the water sector and beyond.

 

As such we place a high value on creativity and innovation, and we encourage our suppliers to partner with us to find innovative solutions that drive efficiencies, improve customer experience or simply add value to what we do.

 

Creativity can come in many forms from new product development to the creative use of technology, and if it helps us to work smarter then it definitely fits under this category!

 

WINNER: Origin Tech Ltd / No-Dig 

 

RUNNER UP: IDeA (Esh-Stantec and MMB) / Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan – Developing an Industry Leading Plan

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE
 Selwood    Selwood - Whittle Dean
 Origin Tech Ltd    No-Dig
 Mott MacDonald Bentley  

 Mosswood and Lumley

 UV

 IDeA

 Mott MacDonald

 Bentley and Esh-

 Stantec

 Drainage and Wastewater

 Management Plan –

 Developing an Industry

 Leading Plan

 Microsoft Corporation  

 NWL Knowledge &

 Content Services

We place great importance on health, safety and wellbeing.

 

It is embedded in everything we do. We are looking for a project, organisation, initiative or simply an action, where excellent health, safety and wellbeing has been displayed.

 

WINNER: Esh-Stantec / Going the Extra Mile to Remove the Stigma of Mental Health

 

RUNNER UP: United Living Water / United Living's ‘Don't Walk By' campaign

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE

 United Living Infrastructure

 Services

 

 United Living's ‘Don't

 Walk By' campaign

 Mott MacDonald Bentley  

 Supporting your Ankles -

 Beyond Zero Campaign

 Esh-Stantec  

 Going the Extra Mile to

 Remove the Stigma of

 Mental Health

One of our values is ‘we are one team’.

 

We place great importance on working together while promoting co-operation to achieve our objectives. By working well as a team we can come up with smarter ways of working and improved performance and outputs.

 

We are looking for a team who have demonstrated excellent team performance while living our values to achieve an excellent outcome.

 

WINNER:  Stantec, Mott MacDonald, North East Catchment Hub and The Rivers Trust / Harnessing a One Team Approach through our PR24 Catchment team

 

RUNNER UP:  Siemens PLC / Siemens working alongside the Smart Programme to successfully deliver the supply of a new Meter Data Management System  

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE
 Shout Digital  

 Shout & the NWG App

 Delivery team - One

 Team in spirit AND

 practice

 Mott MacDonald Bentley  Esh-Stantec

 NWG Drainage and

 Wastewater

 Management Plans

 Siemens Plc  

 Siemens working

 alongside the Smart

 Programme to

 successfully deliver the

 supply of a new Meter

 Data Management

 System

 Stantec

 Mott MacDonald,

 North East

 Catchment Hub and

 The Rivers Trust

 Harnessing a One Team

 Approach through our

 PR24 Catchment Team

 Landal GreenParks UK  

 Landal GreenParks and

 Landal Kielder Waterside

NWL and its Supply Chain take pride in achieving excellent business results.

 

This award is for a supplier that has delivered exceptional results to NWL by going above and beyond the standard scope of their contract. We are looking for suppliers that have supported our corporate goals or wider business strategies in addition to completing their standard supplied goods or services.

 

WINNER: Esh Construction, NWG, Esh, Jetaire, Pipetek / Reducing Sewer Flooding 

 

RUNNER UP:  Bluewave Technology Ltd / Digital transformation of the Developer Services experience

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE
 Bluewave Technology Ltd  

 Digital transformation of

 the Developer Services

 experience

 Esh Construction  Jetaire, Pipetek  Reducing Sewer Flooding
 Esh-Stantec  

 Esh Stantec AMP7

 WINEP Programme

 Mott MacDonald Bentley  

 Warkworth Clarifier

 refurbishment

 Esh Construction  Jetaire, Pipetek

 Driving Excellence in

 Reactive Repairs and

 Maintenance Framework

Responsible Procurement plays a vital role in ensuring NWG can achieve its vision.

 

We are committed to ethically procuring goods, works and services in a way that generates maximum value not only to our organisation but also to the society and economy, while enhancing the environment and complying with all the relevant laws.

 

NWG have committed to working with ethical suppliers who help to achieve our 7 Impact Initiatives as part of our Responsible Procurement Strategy. We are looking for a supplier who has demonstrated an outstanding responsible approach as part of working with NWG and who has ethics embedded firmly within their organisation.

 

WINNER: Farrans Construction / Farrans Construction delivering Project Pipeline: County Durham and Tees Valley

 

RUNNER UP: Lucion Services / Lucion Services

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE
 PF Cusack Tool Supplies Ltd    Road Furniture
 Saint-Gobain PAM UK    Saint-Gobain PAM UK
 Lucion Services    Lucion Services
 Farrans Construction  

 Farrans Construction

 delivering Project

 Pipeline: County Durham

 and Tees Valley

 Potts Print    Potts Print
We place great importance on the legacy impact we create through the works and services we provide.

 

We are looking for suppliers who can demonstrate how they have created a positive lasting impact which has enhanced our brand and reputation within the wider communities which we serve.

 

WINNER: Esh-Stantec / Construction in the Curriculum 

 

RUNNER UP: Esh-Stantec / Run2 Academy, Apprentices and Graduates: The Workforce of the Future

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE
 Anglian Land Drainage Ltd  

 Button Farm Outfall

 Improvements

 Esh-Stantec  

 Construction in the

 Curriculum

 Mott MacDonald Bentley  

 Castle Eden Dene

 Pollution

 Esh-Stantec  

 Run2 Academy,

 Apprentices and

 Graduates: The

 Workforce of the Future

 

One of the key drivers to delivering affordable, reliable and resilient services is to have high performing projects and programmes which deliver to agreed milestones while providing notable outputs, benefits or efficiencies.

 

The projects or programmes could come from any area of our business activity from IS programmes, investment projects, water efficiency projects or working smarter initiatives (to name a few!).

 

WINNER: Esh-Stantec / Johnson Street Storm Overflow Project

 

RUNNER UP: Selwood / Selwood – Whittle Dene

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE
 Aqualogic (WC) Ltd  

 Northumbrian Water

 Group - Water's Worth

 Saving - Audit

 Programme

 Esh-Stantec  

 Johnson Street Storm

 Overflow Project

 Selwood    Selwood - Whittle Dean
 Stantec  

 Hanningfield Water

 Treatment Works (WTW)

 – Delivering Reliable and

 Resilient Services

 Selwood    Selwood - Portrack Lane

 

This Award specifically recognises the challenges and outstanding achievements of Small Enterprises who support us to achieve our vision of being national leader.

 

We are particularly looking for those who have made strides in improving their company through implementing best practice. To be considered for this category the supplier needs to have fewer than 50 employees and a turnover of less than £10m per annum.

 

WINNER: Steve Davidson Advertising Limited

 

RUNNER UP: Wild Intrigue /Osprey Cruises

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE

 Steve Davidson Advertising

 Limited

 

 Steve Davidson

 Advertising Limited

 Wild Intrigue CIC    Osprey Watching Cruise
 Shout Digital  

 Shout digital - a

 company building on its

 NE roots

 

We will achieve a net zero carbon emission position in 2027, three years ahead of the PIC ambition and will be the first water company in England to meet this ambition.

 

We are looking for suppliers who have contributed / supported our journey to net zero through reducing, replacing, removing, or offsetting carbon on capital projects / programmes or through the works / goods / services you provide to NWL.

 

WINNER: Mott MacDonald Bentley / Mosswood Run to Waste 

 

RUNNER UP: Esh-Stantec / Driving Carbon Change Through NWG’s Innovation Festival

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE
 Mott MacDonald Bentley    Sustainable Site set Up
 Selwood    Selwood
 Esh-Stantec  

 Driving Carbon Change

 Through Northumbrian

 Water’s Innovation

 Festival

 Mott MacDonald Bentley    Mosswood Run to Waste
 Lucion Services    Lucion Services

 

Having recently launched our TIDE Strategy (Together for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity), NWL are committed to working towards a more diverse workforce which reflects all customers throughout our regions.

 

Diversity helps our success and ability to innovate, with different people bringing skills and thinking to improve what we do and how we do it. We are looking for suppliers who reflect NWL’s D&I commitments within their own company strategies and are actively working towards / on the way to achieving an equal, diverse and inclusive workforce.

 

WINNER: Mott MacDonald Bentley / MMB EDI Strategy

 

RUNNER UP: Esh-Stantec / Celebrating and Embracing the Unique Minds and Strengths of our Neurodivergent Talent

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE
 Hach UK    Hach DE+I
 Mott MacDonald Bentley    MMB EDI Strategy
 Stantec  

 Celebrating and

 Embracing the Unique

 Minds and Strengths of

 our Neurodivergent

 Talent

 Turner & Townsend    Turner & Townsend

 

NWL are committed to investing in our people and developing their skills by attracting the best people to come and work for us, helping them to develop their potential and in turn they help us to deliver the very best service for our customers.

 

This means we constantly invest in the skills, training and experience of our employees. Through apprenticeships, research partnerships, sponsored PhD placements, NGO relationships and much more we invest heavily in our greatest asset – our people.

 

It is important that together, we maximise the sector’s investment in skills and ensure we develop a sustainable and skilled workforce for the future. Therefore, we are looking for an outstanding, early careers, individual from our supply chain who you have identified is “one to watch” for the future.

 

WINNER: Adam Cullen, Aqua Consultants 

 

RUNNER UP: India Hutchinson, Esh-Stantec

 

SHORTLISTED SUPPLIERS
 SHORTLISTED SUPPLIER
 JOINT ENTRY  ENTRY TITLE
 Turner & Townsend    Andrew Hunt
 Esh-Stantec    Aaron Oakes
 Mott MacDonald Bentley    Marc Mogie
 Stantec    Julia Brito Jambo
 Aqua Consultants    Adam Cullen
 Esh-Stantec    India Hutchinson

 

If you have any further queries regarding our GEM awards, please email GEMawards2023@nwl.co.uk