LONDON, 23 September 2008 – Williams Lea, the leading global provider of Corporate Information Solutions, has been awarded the prestigious ‘Best Purchaser-Supplier collaboration award’ by The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS).

Significant savings, communications and corporate responsibility were the hallmarks of the winning joint entry by Cancer Research UK (CR-UK) and Williams Lea. CR-UK’s print purchasing previously involved over 75 suppliers, high admin costs and little purchasing leverage. With an annual print spend of almost £9 million, Williams Lea committed to delivering a transformation and innovation programme, which over a three year period looks set to reach a forecast total of £3.6 million.

Judges recognised the use of an intranet microsite as a resource for savings initiatives, policies and management information. In addition, a colour management programme to ensure consistency across products and support with third party relationships such as Royal Mail and creative agencies have also been delivered by the Williams Lea team.

The establishment of a project to identify the environmental impact of support communications also played a significant part in the success of the programme. This resulted in switching to recycled paper, reducing the use of plastic bags and developing an ethical policy to eliminate risk in the supply chain.

“This was the first organisation-wide contract that our procurement team had developed and its success has paved the way for more of the same,” said Belinda Prince, Procurement Director at CR-UK. “Williams Lea approached our business challenges with a spirit of partnership and the results speak for themselves,” concluded Prince.

“The success of a project is based on strong relationships, a clear vision and the complete commitment from all involved,” said Steve Nunn, Managing Director, Marketing Solutions at Williams Lea. “Cancer Research UK is a partner that subscribes to all these qualities and our two year working relationship has gone from strength to strength.”

“For an organisation where truly every penny counts, the way Cancer Research UK has approached the critical area of its spend is very impressive. It’s also fantastic to see Williams Lea getting involved in the charitable side of the organisation by helping out in the Cancer Research UK shops. A very demonstrable purchaser - supplier collaboration in every sense,” commented the CIPS judging panel.

Other shortlisted entries for the category included BAE Systems, HSBC and AXA UK.