CEO's Desk - September 2026
LGP is on the home stretch to our major event for the year, the 2026 LGP Annual Conference. This is the only event purely dedicated to the people who are responsible for council expenditure management. It is also the only event that recognises high achievement in procurement practice through our Annual Awards Ceremony.
Registrations are filling very quickly. Please get your ticket here so you can join us on 20–21 October for two inspiring days of thought leadership, practical insights, and meaningful connections as local government, procurement, and industry leaders come together to explore the issues shaping community outcomes across NSW.
From the opening keynote on The Impact of AI on Community Outcomes with Digital Armour CEO Maria Padisetti, to compelling council case studies from Clarence Valley Council and Newcastle City Council, attendees will gain firsthand insights into innovation, infrastructure, governance, and the projects delivering tangible benefits to communities.
We are delighted to bring you expert speakers including James Cockayne, NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner, sharing what "reasonable steps" look like under scrutiny. Once again, we will explore governance and procurement best practice with LGP specialists, and participate in a panel discussion examining responses to modern slavery legislation.
Day two continues the conversation with sessions on First Nations procurement, circular economy initiatives, and social impact measurement. As always, we love hearing from ICAC on where procurement practice has gone wrong – plenty of those stories will be shared, along with what strong corruption prevention looks like.
Alongside a dynamic speaker line-up, delegates will enjoy extensive opportunities to connect with peers, suppliers, and industry experts through dedicated networking sessions, round-robin exhibitor engagement, breaks in the exhibition hall, and the popular Conference Dinner & Procurement Awards, featuring a fun 1990s theme.
Nominations for the Awards are closing soon, and they are listed below. If you have a colleague who has gone above and beyond in their role, a project worth celebrating, or a supplier you really want to call out for their great work, nominate them today.
2026 LGP Procurement Awards Categories
- New Procurement Professional
- Outstanding Procurement Professional of the Year
- Procurement Project of the Year
- LGP Approved Contractor of the Year
Our sponsors are important for all LGP events. We would like to thank in advance Telstra as our Platinum Sponsor once again, Blackwoods, also returning as our Gold Sponsor, and our newest sponsor, Attura, putting on the Awards Dinner for us.
If you have never attended our event, this conference has been described as the greatest opportunity for all those managing council expenditure to learn, connect, and shape better outcomes for your community.
Always wanting to advance the procurement profession in the NSW and national local government sector, using the power of sector-wide aggregation, LGP is pleased to share that we have another unique procurement professional association membership.
World Commerce & Contracting (WCC) is the global authority on commercial and contract management, representing a community of 90,000 professionals across 20,000 organisations in 167 countries. It advances international standards, research and professional capability to help organisations build stronger commercial relationships, manage risk and deliver better business and community outcomes.
They have offered a dramatically reduced membership deal for NSW council staff. For just $49 per person, you can join WCC and access all their guides, resources, checklists and templates. LGP has been a Corporate Member of WCC for many years, and we encourage you to contact Yang at [email protected] to take advantage of this great offer.
While I am on WCC, as you will be aware, LGP ran a joint research project with WCC titled The Partnership Premium: Stronger Australian Council-Supplier Relationships and Better Outcomes. That report was published at the start of August. As a WCC member, you can download this report and more than 50 other research papers on offer. If you come to the 2026 LGP Annual Conference, you will hear firsthand how to apply our findings from the research. We encourage you to take a look and consider what is being recommended for our sector on where we can better embrace our supply partners.
Thank you.