The Judging

Each of the Partnership finalists are interviewed by a judging team that speaks to the partners involved, views the premises, and looks at the successes achieved. Our judges are fully independent and no other industry event assesses finalists in such detail, proof positive that the PFM Partnership Awards are the best in the industry.

Please be aware that our judges give up their own free time to judge the awards, and go to considerable effort to do so. As such, it's important that partnerships are properly prepared for their visits. Please also note that entrants may not enter into correspondence with the judges about the status of their entry, either during or after the judging process.

The judging criteria
Finalists should demonstrate how the partners have achieved their business, property and FM goals through Partnership, Innovation, Achievement and Sustainability. Extra weight will be given to partnerships that are working towards, or have achieved, the BS11000 or ISO44001 standards.

Partnership Team Member Award: Non-managerial nominees must demonstrate an exceptional contribution to the success of the partnership through their enthusiasm and effectiveness. The completed Entry Form and a brief description of why the person is nominated should be sent to amanda.vlietstra@imlgroup.co.uk at least two weeks before the judging visit during which the judges will meet and speak to the candidate.



The judges' visits


Working in teams of two, the judges will interview both sides of the partnership via live visits in July, August or September.

You must:
Prepare a presentation to the judges (about 30 minutes max)
Ensure representatives of both the client and service partners are present to answer questions from the judges (about 30 minutes)
Ensure your candidate for Partnership Team Member is available for interview

The judges will use your written entry as a starting point for their examination of the claims made and to determine the effectiveness of the Partnership. The quality of your presentation to the judges at the interview stage is vital. It is an opportunity to demonstrate not only the facts and figures behind the claims in your entry, but also to show the enthusiasm and skill of the partners' respective staff and management. Take time to prepare your presentation and ensure representatives of your partners, clients and users are present. Please bear in mind that the judges will be visiting other finalists across the country and may have only a limited number of dates available.

Every effort will be made to ensure that the judges have no conflict of interest that might affect their consideration of a finalist. Should there be any concerns about this contact amanda.vlietstra@imlgroup.co.uk before the judges' online video interview.


Judges’ bios



Les Pyle
Les is semi-retired having completed his assignment as Chairman of a Renewable Energy enterprise and his involvement with modular construction. He remains Chairman of Marshwell Property Management.
Up until the end of 2018 Les was the CEO for the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW), the recognised thought leader in collaborative working which he took over in 2001. He was also a Board member for Policy Connect, the Parliamentary thinktank working with the public and private sectors as input for the evolution of UK Government policy.
Prior to ICW Les held various positions in the ICT sector with ICL, subsequently acquired by Fujitsu.


Phil Matis

Phil Matis is Operations Director for the Churchill Group leading a vast portfolio across Scotland and the North of England. After recently handing of the reigns, he was co-chair of the Emerging Workplace Leaders, a renowned industry networking group successfully driving their strategy around accelerating change in the workplace through sector awards, events and mentoring. He has extensive strategic and operational experience in partnering with local businesses to global organisations. He has a passion for game-changing innovation and loves to support and mentor others within FM.



Joanna Lloyd-Davis

Joanna has experience in corporate real estate, corporate finance, workplace, facilities management, professional organisations and volunteering.
She is an experienced management consultant, supporting businesses with a thorough and diplomatic understanding of their needs and commercial boundaries, by facilitating creative connections to enhance organisational performance, new business opportunities and executive development.  She engenders passion for collaborative service delivery excellence, harnessing the best people and teams, challenging the accepted solutions to exceed expectations.



Mark Tyson

Mark is Head of Property Operations at Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM). He is responsible for all Property & Facilities Management operations across over 700 properties in the UK following an 18-month transformation programme to implement a new occupier focussed operating model. Previously he has held leadership roles in Mitie and Capita Real Estate with a focus on property management, facilities management and sustainability services.



Chris Spratt

Chris started his FM journey in 1997 with ADFlex Solutions Ltd, formerly part of IBM. After working for Invensys Systems UK Ltd, Man Group plc and PageGroup, in 2020 he joined Cambridge Assessment, part of the University of Cambridge, as Director of Group Services & Property. Upon their merger with Cambridge University Press, he was appointed as the Director of International Property & Services. 
Chris now looks after a portfolio of over 80 locations worldwide whilst also leading on property safety, risk & compliance management, property environment and global corporate travel.  In his spare time Chris leads one of the Royal Navy’s cadet organisations as a volunteer and Chair of Trustees, and in whatever time remains he occasionally thinks about getting fit.



Satvir Bungar
Satvir works with entrepreneurially-spirited and high-growth businesses, advising them on achieving strategic goals through mergers and acquisition activity, advising on sales, fundraisings and acquisitions including MBOs, for businesses typically valued between £10m and £100m and has been involved in the field of corporate finance for over 20 years. Satvir is also National Head of BDO’s Business Services sector team where Satvir has accumulated significant insight into the facilities management industry.
He's also National head of CEDAR, a major network at BDO LLP which represents the diverse workforce and increase representation, retention, and leadership ranks for BDO’s ethnically diverse colleagues. Satvir is committed to using his platform and influence to empower employee progression both within BDO and beyond.
In 2018, Satvir was awarded an MBE for services to corporate finance.