Speakers
Eddie Regan
Eddie is BiP Solutions' Senior Procurement Consultant. Working alongside the Client Services team, he frequently assists public sector organisations with clarification and interpretation of EU Directives and a wide variety of legislative issues. Eddie is lead consultant on BiP's PASS Mark Health Check, an evaluation technique that helps identify how organisations in both the public and private sectors can develop more effective processes in respect of all aspects of public sector contracting. A member of the International Purchasing and Supply Education and Research Association (IPSERA), Eddie is also the senior adviser on BiP's unique Tender Support Helpline team, which provides advice on contracting matters to hundreds of clients. For the last 13 years Eddie has lectured regularly on procurement policy and processes at conferences and events, both on behalf of BiP and for a variety of other organisations, including the Society of Procurement Officers in Local Government (SOPO) and the Institute of Directors. He also provides in-house training on the tendering process – law and practice – to personnel in both the public and private sectors, including several multinational organisations.
Florence Gregg
Florence has over 25 years’ procurement experience gained in the health service and higher education sector. She was Head of Purchasing at Queen's University Belfast from January 1998 to May 2004,where she managed change, implemented procurement solutions and developed a proactive, supportive procurement function working with the institution's decentralised part time buyers.
Ruth Connorton
Ruth is head of Eversheds LLP’s national procurement team and is a partner in the firm. She has advised on procurement regulations since their inception and regularly advises on regulatory compliance in major transactions as well as the day-to-day activities of local authorities, NHS bodies, regional development agencies and central government/national agencies. In the utilities field she has advised water companies, ports, airports and transport providers.
Ruth is recognised in external directories with Chambers and Partners legal directory quoting that she has a "direct no-nonsense style and quick turnaround times". She is also recognised by The Legal 500, which comments that she provides "very good, sound advice and not just what she thinks you want to hear." Ruth is a regular speaker on the subject of procurement, bringing a practical and commercial approach to the sessions.
David Hansom
David is an associate and a key member of Eversheds' firm-wide Procurement Group. He specialises in public procurement and advises central and local government departments, public authorities, utilities and leading private sector contractors on issues ranging from day to day application to the procurement management/structuring of major projects across a variety of sectors.
He advises on procurement aspects of deals conducted pursuant to both the Private Finance Initiative and traditional procurement routes (with particular experience in the relatively new competitive dialogue). He also has particular expertise in the application of public procurement to complex land and regeneration projects following the Auroux decision.
Karen Lockwood
Karen is a Senior Associate of Eversheds LLP and is a member of their national procurement group and has over nine years' experience of advising public sector bodies and utilities on both procurement and commercial issues.
Karen's experience includes preparation of OJEU notices; planning the procurement timetable and assistance with project management; preparation of award notices and prequalification questionnaires; preparing tender documentation. Karen also assists with evaluation processes and the documentation of auditable probity trails and advises on the stand-still period, debriefing and dealing with challenges. Karen's role ranges from giving advice to in-house procurement personnel as issues arise to providing continuing advice and support throughout major procurements including those carried out under the competitive dialogue procedure.
James Robinson
James is a partner at Eversheds LLP, based in London in their EU and competition practice, and is a core member of Eversheds’ cross-departmental procurement team. His experience in relation to EU and UK public procurement law is broad and covers both contentious and non-contentious matters.
He is currently advising on several of the UK’s very largest procurements. On the contentious side, he is widely experienced at challenging and defending in the UK's changing and increasingly litigious environment. On behalf of a major name international bidder, he has just forced a contracting authority to withdraw an important procurement and he is defending an authority which has been similarly challenged. James is acknowledged in Legal 500 and has published articles in a wide range of publications.
Bridgette Wilcox
Bridgette is a partner and Head of Eversheds' National commercial team. Based in Cardiff, she specialises in commercial law, including procurement and state aids where she leads Eversheds' practice. Bridgette is a member of our national procurement group which has experience of advising on over 80 competitive dialogues.
Bridgette's commercial experience includes advising on major projects, public sector partnerships/consortia and managing procurements. Bridgette's procurement experience includes waste projects for Somerset and Gloucestershire County Councils, major highways PPPs for Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire County Councils, a broadband project for the Welsh Assembly Government, JEREMIE and JESSICA fund establishment for RDAs and Welsh Assembly Government, and various property regeneration schemes. In addition, Bridgette provides procurement advice on a range of matters for local authorities, RDAs and other public bodies.
Bridgette is recognised by both The Legal 500 and Chambers UK: A Client's Guide to the UK Legal Profession.
Contributions to this event will be provided by TWO of the above speakers.