MOD Quality Awards 2022
Nominations are now open for the MOD Quality Awards 2022.
Documents
Details
Who has that star quality?
Nominations are now open for the MOD Quality Awards 2022, with the introduction of a new annual “Supplier Excellence” category.
What are the MOD Quality Awards?
The MOD Quality Awards celebrate success, reward and recognise those who have delivered significant business benefits and improvements through a quality approach. These awards are sponsored by Chartered Quality Institute (CQI)
There are 5 award categories:
- Rising Star
- Best Improvement
- Quality Ambassador
- Inspiring Leadership
- Supplier Excellence (a new category for 2022)
Who should I nominate for an award?
The nominations are open to all Service and Civilian Personnel, the MOD and Industry in all professions, not just Quality. It’s also open to suppliers to the MOD including prime contractors, their suppliers and small to medium enterprises.
Nominations are invited from organisations, project teams, individuals, and their suppliers.
How can I get involved?
If you know of anyone who is worthy of these prestigious awards, please complete the nomination form by 5pm on 30 July 2022.
For further information please read:
- The full category descriptions
- MOD Quality Awards Guidance
- Awards assessment criteria
Judging and ceremony
The judging panels will take place in September 2022 with independent people invited from MOD, supplier relations, Defence Quality Assurance Field Force, Chartered Quality Institute and a Defence industry trade organisation. Should nominations be close, nominees may be asked to attend a virtual interview by the panel.
The award and certificate will be presented to successful recipients at The MOD Quality Awards Ceremony taking place on Tuesday 8 November 2022.
For further information or advice, please contact DESEngSfty-QSEPQCM-Pol-Awards@mod.gov.uk.
Category descriptions
Rising Star
An individual new to Quality who has excelled, demonstrated clear potential to succeed and displayed appropriate behaviours such as enthusiasm, proactiveness and professionalism that delivers significant outcomes and benefits to the business.
Best Improvement
A team or individual who has gone above and beyond to implement an improvement that delivers significant outcomes and benefits to the business.
Quality Ambassador
An individual who is seen as a role model and has gone above and beyond, promoted good behaviours such as helping to embed new cultures, mentoring, coaching, sharing best practice with others that delivers significant outcomes and benefits to the business.
Inspiring Leadership
A team or individual who inspired and motivated others to achieve their potential with clear direction and strategy whilst achieving significant outcomes and benefits to the business.
Supplier Excellence
Organisations, project teams, individuals and their suppliers demonstrating significant evidence of improving its service or product quality whilst not adversely impacting delivery cost and time; the effectiveness of planned improvements and results achieved; leading with good behaviours including communicating, collaborating and partnering with customers and suppliers whilst delivering value for money; building capability for all, ensuring increased MOD customer confidence.
MOD Quality Awards Guidance
To give your nomination the best possible chance of success, please consider the following before submission. Each nomination should:
-
use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action and Result)
-
explain how the Quality Approach was followed (Governance, Assurance and Improvement); you may focus on one element or on the whole approach; for the supplier excellence category, focus on how ISO 9001 clauses 9 & 10 (Performance Evaluation & Improvement) have been followed; refer to Assessment Criteria and examples below
-
be accompanied by clear and convincing evidence of outstanding contribution over and above normal business
-
avoid the use of Defence Sector jargon or acronyms, please spell out in full where possible particularly for the citation
-
clearly state the outcome and the benefit to the organisation
The ‘STAR’ format
Situation and Task
Briefly set the scene: what was the task? What was the Nominee’s role in the task?
Action
-
Describe how the Quality Approach (GAI) or ISO 9001 Clauses 9 & 10 (for the supplier excellence category) were followed using clear and convincing evidence.
-
Explain the activities that were carried out to achieve the result.
Result
1.What was the outcome? What did this task achieve?
-
What were the benefits to the Organisation? Benefits can be cultural or financial. Why does this nomination merit an award?
-
How does the Nominee demonstrate exemplary performance (over and above normal business) in the categories?
“The Quality Approach” - Governance, Assurance and Improvement (GAI)
Governance
Ensures that all Organisation requirements are reflected in operational frameworks, policies and processes, and that these meet all stakeholder requirements. Or ensures that Project Requirements are fully reflected in Project Plans and that these Plans meet the needs of the Customer and all other Stakeholders.
Assurance
Ensure that policies, processes and plans are effectively implemented, and that all outputs (both internal and deliverable) are consistent with requirements.
Improvement
Facilitates a culture of evaluation (both qualitative and quantitative), learning and improvement which drives more effective, efficient and agile ways of working to support business strategy, enhance reputation and increase profitability.
Awards assessment criteria
Continuous improvement Strategy
Evidence shows clear commitment to planned and continuous improvement.
| Category Characteristics | Evidence demonstrating significant improvement (bronze) | Demonstrable planned commitment to improving customer quality satisfaction (silver) | Robust and Demonstrable improvement plan in place with supporting evidence of consistent benefits being delivered (gold) | Gold Standard. You may wish to include verifiable evidence such as: - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improved service/product to the MOD | Prompted to improve by MOD | Uses customer feedback to improve its Quality Management System (QMS) and customer satisfaction | Pro-active attitude demonstrated seeking collaborative feedback to improving Quality for its customers | Led collaboratively to improve service/product delivery to MOD For example, worked with UK Armed Forces to facilitate evacuation of refugees from Afghanistan. |
| Improvement activities & innovations have been planned | Suppliers Quality improvement plan implemented to maintain QMS certification | Suppliers Quality improvement plan implemented as part of overall Quality policy | Suppliers Quality improvement plan implemented to strategically deliver MOD programmes | Collaborated with MOD customer to agree and implement a strategic Quality improvement plan For example, top management drove meaningful improvement to rectify concerns and issues of ‘highly visible’ Programme that was gaining poor ‘Press’ and PR – and which was under scrutiny from the Defence Select Committee. |
Improvement effectiveness
Combining the relationship between the result achieved and resources used.
| Category Characteristics | Evidence demonstrating significant improvement (bronze) | Demonstrable planned commitment to improving customer quality satisfaction (silver) | Robust and Demonstrable improvement plan in place with supporting evidence of consistent benefits being delivered (gold) | Gold Standard. You may wish to include verifiable evidence such as: - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value for money has been delivered | Evidence from the customer that 90% of Key and Priority 1 requirements achieved | Evidence from the customer that 95% of Key and Pr1 requirements achieved | Evidence from the customer that 100% of all Key and Pr1 requirements achieved | Team xxx have provided evidence that 100% of all Key and Pr1 requirements have been delivered |
| Capability built for all | Manages its supply chain | Strategically aligns own organisation & supply chain with MOD requirements | Collaborated with MOD & supply chain to implement a strategic plan to deliver MOD requirements For example, has gained recognition/award for supply chain excellence; from Government, National or International scheme/programme. | |
| Increased MOD confidence of supplied service/product A well-defined, functioning & certificated QMS | < 3 QMS major Nonconformities (NCRs) in the last 12 months | < 2 QMS major NCRs in the last 12 months | < 1 QMS major NCRs in the last 12 months | Statement quantifying NCR status over last 12 months |
| Improvement activities & innovations are being/have been achieved | Evidence from the customer there has been positive impacts to MOD of time OR cost reduction | Evidence from the customer there has been positive impacts to MOD of time reduction AND cost reduction | Team xxx have provided evidence of yyyy demonstrating reduction in time of aaa months and cost reduction of £bbb |
Leadership
Demonstrating good behaviours of an organisation committed to working collaboratively with MOD to improve the Quality of its outputs.
| Category Characteristics | Evidence demonstrating significant improvement (bronze) | Demonstrable planned commitment to improving customer quality satisfaction (silver) | Robust and Demonstrable improvement plan in place with supporting evidence of consistent benefits being delivered (gold) | Gold Standard. You may wish to include verifiable evidence such as: - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leadership, commitment & communications | Supplier contributes to Defence Industries Quality Forum (DIQF), Counterfeit Avoidance Working Group (CAWG), Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) Special Interests Group (SIG) or similar bodies | Supplier leads within DIQF, CAWG, CQI-SIG or similar bodies OR Positive behaviour to improving customer satisfaction | Leads industry/professional Quality forums AND Demonstrates meaningful LFE AND Positive behaviour to improving customer satisfaction | Pro-actively leads xxx, yyy, zzz fora. Takes best practice ideas from industry/MOD such as aaa and has planned these into QMS development scheduled to complete vvv |
| Collaborating & partnering with customers & suppliers | Joint MOD/supplier led collaboration | Supplier leads collaborative effort | Collaborating on existing good relationships, engaged regularly with MOD customer to ensure requirements continued to be delivered satisfactorily For example, a ‘jointly-signed’ and implemented collaborative working agreement (based upon the principles of ISO 44001) that has delivered demonstrable improvement in terms of product/service quality and behaviours. |
Eligibility Criteria for Supplier Excellence Category.
- The supplier must have a Quality Management System that has not been suspended, that is certificated by an accredited third party with no open Major Non Conformity Reports.
- They must have anti-slavery and ethics policies in place.
- They cannot have ongoing MOD Quality alerts or legal actions relating to MOD contracts.
Please note should an award winner’s performance be demonstrated as in decline, the MOD reserves the right to withdraw the award and suppliers claims to it. In addition, an award cannot be used as a discriminator during the contracting process.