GO Awards Scotland and Procurex Scotland 2026
October 30, 2026Posted by:
PeoplePlus, the Scottish Prison Service and City of Glasgow College have been Highly Commended for Excellence in Social Value at the GO Awards Scotland 2026/27, for the national prison education contract PeoplePlus delivers across all 16 of Scotland's prisons.
The recognition came at the awards ceremony in Glasgow on 29th October, at the end of a full day at Procurex Scotland 2026, where PeoplePlus was an Official Event Partner.
One contract, three awards
The same contract also won the Scottish Prison Service two further awards on the night: Public Procurement Project of the Year and The Go Excellence Award, the overall prize of the evening.
The awards recognise how SPS designed and procured the National Contract for Prisoner Education Development and Learning. It is a national service built around progression, bringing education and employability together, with community benefit written into the specification from the start.
PeoplePlus was chosen to deliver the contract, and our education teams make that design work in practice every day across all 16 establishments. City of Glasgow College is building a route from learning in custody into a college place, and partners including SAMH and Kier help connect that learning to support and employment beyond the gate.
The work also reflects the Scottish Government's policy direction on Community Wealth Building, Fair Work and the Vision for Justice. Congratulations to everyone at SPS, and thank you to every partner who is part of it.
The Highly Commended rounds off a year in which PeoplePlus was named GO Awards 2026/27 Supplier of the Year for England.
A full day at Procurex Scotland
Earlier in the day, PeoplePlus ran a Social Value Clinic in partnership with Procurex. Buyers and suppliers dropped in for one-to-one advice from PeoplePlus' team of social value experts. In the dedicated Community Wealth Building Hub our Head of Partnerships and Development Alistair, spoke to a packed audience about using procurement to create employment, inclusion and community wealth. With the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Act 2026 placing new duties on public bodies, he used the SPS contract as his example. Its first year shows how a large contract can make space for specialist partners in skills, employer engagement, community partnerships, vocational training, recruitment pathways and sustained employment.
We will now continue this through the Community Wealth Advocacy Group (CWAG) in Scotland and the Social Recruitment Advocacy Group (SRAG) across the UK. For more information about how to get involved, email [email protected].
October 30, 2026Posted by:
