In just twelve months, Leicestershire County Council implemented substantial service improvements to achieve the Level 3 Equality Standard.Using an innovative programme of Positive Action methods, team engagement and member training, it has effectively embedded Equality and Diversity into the culture of the organisation.

Welland Procurement Unit has been established as a shared service, serving initially five small councils, with active support and funding from, amongst others, the East Midlands Centre of Excellence (the forerunner of the Improvement and Efficiency Partnership).

Category management is simply a way of the council managing its buying activity by grouping together related products and services such as ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), vehicles or stationery, across the council and mapping them onto a supplier market.

Set up following the publication of the National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy by Communities and Local Government (CLG) in December 2007 Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs) support councils and their partners to work collaboratively, accelerate efficiency gains and drive improvement.