Ruby Marwaha

Said the following about Victoria Hill-Stanford:

“I would like to nominate Victoria Hill-Stanford Network Rail Head of Profession – Commercial. Victoria (Vicky) is so enthusiastic and inspiring. She worked tirelessly to create a commercial community of practice and bring together over 500 commercial staff to create a thriving and dynamic profession which is seen as a role model within the business.

Central to this journey was the creation and roll out of the Network Rail (NR) Commercial Handbook which takes us through the entire commercial lifecycle. This handbook clarifies not just the how and why but also a standardised technical framework for the business defining processes, templates and systems required to ease tensions in relation to contractors and stakeholders, driving continuous improvement and mitigating risk. Vicky had to bring together commercial staff from across the business to share best practice. The handbook that was published stayed true to the original vision and was a much-needed tool for the company, providing a uniform way of communicating and collaborating with our supply chain and clients. Practitioners, stakeholders and internal clients have all requested copies to help with their own business and Vicky has been approached by a number of outside contractors. We also appreciated the time that Vicky spent in supporting us with its introduction. Vicky understood that a large change programme such as this could only succeed through on-going support and being visibly present in the business. She has enthusiastically role modelled the company values at every stage and continues to take suggestions.

Vicky’s innovation has also meant that she has led us into new ways of working and supporting our internal clients and contractors alike. One example of this is creation of an embedded suite of contracts with the Association for Consultancy & Engineering (ACE). Vicky’s idea was to work with ACE and embed NRs contracts terms into the base suite of the Infrastructure Conditions of Contract (ICC) conditions of contract. ACE embraced this idea and Vicky piloted it in IP Track. It was rolled out to the whole of the NR suite of contracts. This now means that the claims risk is mitigated at tender stage which has enhanced our ability to administer contracts effectively and remove ambiguities. Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) also took on Vicky’s idea to embed rail small tools and plant into the latest version of the Daywork Schedule, bringing efficiency to agreement of variations.

Vicky’s initiative to develop an NR standardised approach to cost audit and assurance is also being seen as industry leading and best practice and this month Arcadis are commencing a cross-industry workstream with Vicky. This should reduce duplication and drive interventions at the right time to avoid surprises in final costs.

Recently Vicky has also complied a suite of standard contractual letters that cover every clause so that contract administration is optimised and professionalised. This provides consistency in communication with the contractors, creates an environment in which the rights and remedies of the parties are clearly identified and managed and reduces commercial risk associated with ambiguities. These letters are widely referenced by the teams and demonstrates that Vicky is constantly working to improve the experience of both internal and external stakeholders. An exciting conclusion to this is that Vicky has been able to secure funding from NR to purchase a post-contract administration tool which will bring significant efficiencies to our business and support the wellbeing of our teams. Now we will be able to move quickly to a fully automated platform which will promote trend profiling, cost avoidance and deliver robust real-time reporting. Vicky’s enthusiasm and resilience has made this possible and has shown her to be an outstanding Head of Profession and innovator.

Vicky is dedicated to the individuals in her profession and the tangible benefits of a community of practice and has worked with HR and the Learning & Development teams to deliver upskilling apprenticeships and training that will enable individuals to progress in their chosen careers. E-learning (rather than classroom training) is currently being piloted, which will equip the commercial profession with access to the latest knowledge 365 days a year. This training will also become accessible to our contractors. Vicky has also personally delivered some of these courses, in an engaging way reflecting the real-life experience of our staff.

Vicky has also concluded the proof of concept pilot with Highways England / Transport for London / London Underground / High Speed 2 around a co-ordinated approach to Equality Diversity & Inclusion data capture – a one system once approach. The first feedback session to industry was given on 23rd September 2019 and Vicky was a key player in instigating this joined up approach.

Vicky inspires the profession at all levels. She is dedicated, honest, always visible across the country and delivers her messages in a fun, uncomplicated way. I take my inspiration from her. Despite a hectic schedule, she always has time for anyone, shares our ideas and gives us credit which is so helpful in maintaining morale for the teams.

Rose Allan – Assistant Commercial Manager NR said after the launch of The Commercial Handbook

‘I can listen to Vicky for hours. She is so knowledgeable, down to earth and easy to understand.’

John Spencer – Commercial Director NR said ‘We are honoured to have Vicky as our head of the post contract commercial discipline. Vicky is such a dynamic and enthusiastic professional, who is always willing to help and commands the respect of our practitioners at every level. I have been particularly impressed with the effort that she puts into learning and development and the focus she has on our junior staff, she is truly inspirational. Vicky is a deserving nominee to be put forward for this award.’

Cecelia Fadipe, Director CF Business Links Ltd (Consulting) said ‘Vicky is a visionary who in-spite of challenges, relentlessly drives change and improvements for her colleagues, amongst her professional peers, across the supply chain and the rail industry in general’

Michelle Hayhurst, Director, Infrastructure – Cost Management, Turner & Townsend said, ‘Victoria has been integral to engaging with the supply chain at multiple levels, delivering a message of continuous improvement initiatives that will drive the attractiveness of working collaboratively alongside and for Network Rail.’

Stephen Blakey, Commercial Projects Director, Network Rail said ‘Vicky’s commitment to driving improvements to the commercial profession is as relentless as it is infectious. She is adept at ensuring a collaborative approach and moves seamlessly between doing things that will make a difference for commercial practitioners to harnessing the support of stakeholders from across industry. Her personal contribution to our corporate agenda to drive industry change is simply outstanding.’“