With the loss of government funding local public services are being reinvented. It goes without saying that learning from each other reduces the cost of change and increases the likelihood of success.
The Certificate of Excellence recognises and champions examples of innovation and best practice in the public sector. You can apply for one at any time as they are open all year round.
Any public body in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can apply for a Certificate of Excellence, and also their partners in the voluntary, community and private sector. Each application can be for the whole organisation, a department, or an individual project.
Why Apply For a Certificate of Excellence?
Public Sector Transformation Awards
- Successful applications will be automatically fast-tracked into the pool of nominations for the annual Public Sector Transformation Awards
Local Government Transformation Conference
- You will also be in with the chance to be presented with a hard copy of the certificate at our autumn conference, where we invite the best of the best to showcase the most innovative transformations and improvements with the public sector
Transform Magazine
- Winning applicants will have a feature in Transform, a quarterly magazine with an online readership of 1200 which is circulated to all Chief Executives and Council Leaders in the UK
Previous recipients of
iESE Certificates of Excellence
Insight Bristol
Data Analytics Hub
Insight Bristol were recognised for its groundbreaking work in developing state-of-the-art analytical tools for use by public sector staff working with vulnerable families.
Surrey County Council
Analytics Hub
Surrey County Council partnered with the University of Surrey through a doctoral project to develop a tool capable of supporting commissioning decisions around the organisation’s provision for Looked After Children (LAC) and Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) children.
Metropolitan Police
One Met Model
The Met Police set out on an ambitious four-year transformation journey called the One Met Model. Its goal was to improve service delivery for London and invest in new and existing capabilities in the face of rising and more complex demand and fewer resources.
South Staffordshire Council
Efficiency & Income Plan
South Staffordshire District Council has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence in recognition of the work it has done since 2011 to achieve financially stability.
The Kent Public Service Network
Govroam
The KPSN Govroam project – short for Government Roaming – gives roaming Wi-Fi services to public sector staff across 16 organisations in Kent.
Cheltenham Borough Council
Licensing Team
Cheltenham Borough Council’s Licensing Team has led on several innovative and national first initiatives. In 2018, the council digitised all of its taxi and alcohol licensing application processes, achieving a 100 per cent channel shift.
The Certificate of Excellence Application Process
There are a number of iESE judging days throughout the year where applications will be assessed against a number of criteria.
The next autumn conference is on Tuesday 3rd November 2020 – the winning projects have been announced on the iESE Conference 2020 page.
The next awards event is on Thursday 4th March 2021 – the awards finalists will be announced in February.

Apply for the Awards
It’s that time of the year that we encourage you to apply for the Public Sector Transformation Awards. Click on the button bellow to download an application form. Please send in your completed application to enquiries@iese.org.uk.
We look forward to receiving your applications!

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