How do you think your organisation would fare if judged against rigorous independent criteria? The Quality Foundation UK Excellence Awards could give you the chance to find out.

This national awards scheme evaluates companies against the Excellence Model, used across Europe since 1994 as a way of assessing businesses capabilities. It is designed to help companies improve through identification of role models, and to give recognition to excellent performance in management.

Awards are presented on an ongoing basis, so there are no categories or judgement criteria specific to field, department or individual. It is open to UK companies, and is entered via a system of evaluation based first on a paper explanation, followed by an on-site assessment to support the documentary evidence.

New applicants must create a fifteen page entry, to describe how they qualify for consideration based on their track record. The deadline for submission of this document is 18 December 2009. There follows a deadline for registration of intent to apply for the award on 29 January 2010, and the final submission of documentary evidence must take place by 31 March 2010.

For further information, visit The British Quality Foundation’s UK Excellence Awards.