18th December 2023 – Constellia, a leading UK procurement Managed Service Provider for the public and private sector, is pleased to announce the appointment of Darren Knowd as its new Social Value Czar.
As Social Value Czar, Darren Knowd will be pivotal in guiding Constellia’s efforts to integrate social value into every aspect of its procurement services. His wealth of experience and expertise in social impact initiatives will further strengthen Constellia’s ability to help clients and suppliers make meaningful contributions to their communities while achieving their procurement objectives.
In this newly created role, Darren will advise on all aspects of social value to ensure Constellia and their clients can achieve the best possible social, economic, and environmental outcomes via procurement projects.
Darren Knowd brings over 30 years of procurement experience working across both the private and public sectors, including his most recent role as Head of Procurement, Commercial Sales, and Business Services at Durham County Council. Darren has also led procurement and social value at the national level as the Chair of the LGA National Advisory Group for Procurement and Chair of the National Social Value Task Force. Furthermore, he has contributed to the development of procurement policy and legislation, including the Procurement Act 2023.
Rob Levene, CEO of Constellia, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Darren to Constellia as our Social Value Czar. His appointment aligns perfectly with our mission to make the world a better place through procurement. Under Darren’s leadership and wealth of social value and procurement expertise, we believe that Constellia will continue to set the standard in promoting social value and responsible procurement practices.”
Darren Knowd commented: “In 2023, Social Value is a real necessity; it’s no longer just a choice; we must all do our best to maximise the value of every pound to deliver social, economic, and environmental outcomes and the new Procurement Act will create opportunities to be innovative. To be asked to be the Social Value Czar at Constellia who, a fast-developing company are and have a most unique procurement service offer for goods, works and services, is really exciting – I can’t wait to get involved in January 2024.”
Constellia has been at the forefront of social value initiatives in the procurement industry. Its recent partnership with whatimpact.com, a leading UK social value matchmaker, has further facilitated integration into procurement processes, making it easier for clients and suppliers to meet their social value requirements.
Constellia continues to lead in its commitment to harnessing positive change through procurement. Darren Knowd’s appointment reaffirms the company’s dedication to this vision, continuing its commitment to helping clients and suppliers deliver social value responsibly. This is in addition to other recent initiatives such as the launch of a strategic partnership with whatimpact.com, a leading UK social value matchmaker, and the nomination of Spread a Smile as their 2024 charity of the year, pledging their support to an amazing charity that brings precious moments of joy to seriously ill children, teenagers, and their families.
About Constellia:
Constellia – Neutral Vendor solutions for Goods, Services, Technology and Works.
Established in 2007, Constellia is a leading Neutral Vendor Managed Service Provider in the UK. We manage over £200 million of spend across 130+ public and private sector organisations. We are also the UK’s only Neutral Vendor to enable public sector and utility clients access to the procurement of Goods, Works, Services and Technology.
As a Neutral Vendor, we act as a conduit between contracting authorities, prequalified service providers, and suppliers, providing a fast and compliant marketing route via Neutral Vendor Frameworks. Our diverse and dynamic marketplace enlists over 1,000 pre-approved suppliers, providing clients access to 400+ subcategories of spend.
We provide public sector clients the flexibility and choice to buy through one simple route quickly and compliantly, helping drive efficiencies and savings.
For more information, please visit www.constellia.com.