Chinese delegation visit Scotland Excel
On Monday 01 November, Scotland Excel hosted a delegation of 25 senior representatives from the Ministry of Commerce, China.
The delegates were specialists in the area of financial procurement visiting the UK for a training programme with the National School of Government - the UK government's learning and development organisation for the public sector. As part of their visit, they met with a number of specialist procurement organisations such as Scotland Excel to gain an international perspective on how public procurement is managed.
Despite the challenge of delivering the presentations and Q&A sessions through an interpreter, the discussions covered a variety of topics including tender management and evaluation, legislation, risk management, e-procurement and benefits tracking.
The day was completed by a tour of the Scotland Excel office to allow our guests to understand the scale of our operation. As Scotland Excel's head office is based in Paisley's historic Anchor Mill, the delegates also enjoyed learning about the town's industrial past as a textile producer and the origin of the Paisley Pattern.
The Group Leader, Jianhua Chen, Director General of the Financial Procurement Professional Committee of China (FPPC) extended his gratitude to Scotland Excel and all those who presented. The delegation found the quality of the presentations exceptional and this has helped them immensely with their practical knowledge of the Procurement Reform Programme and the part that Scotland Excel and local authorities play within this programme.