The EFL Trust Gains ‘Excellent’ Merlin Standard
The EFL Trust, the charitable arm of the EFL, has been awarded an ‘Excellent’ Merlin Standard accreditation assessment in supply chain management and has also received 97% rating from Pharos Response for NCS Delivery.
Since the EFL Trust was established in 2008 to oversee the diverse work of EFL Club Community Organisations, the organisation has been voluntarily assessed every 2 years by Merlin Assessment Services.
The Trust becomes one of only 18 organisations in the United Kingdom that are Merlin Accredited.
Achievement of the Merlin Standard demonstrates the high quality of the EFL Trust’s partnership working both within our network of EFL Club Community Organisations and our wider supply chain of delivery partners on key programmes.
The Merlin Standard for delivering excellence in supply chain management is built upon 8 fundamental and integrated principles: Design, Procure, Contract, Funding, Develop, Performance Manage, QA & Compliance, and Review & Close. Within each principle, there are a number of criteria, which provide a structured approach to achieving excellence in supply chain management.
Following years of continuous improvement against the standard, the EFL Trust was assessed once again this May and has been awarded an ‘Excellent’ accreditation, scoring an outstanding 86% outcome score.
The assessment noted a series of key strengths of the EFL Trust including the design of the strategy for the development of the supply chain; the EFL’s commitment to the Capability Code of Practice, a standard created in conjunction with the Premier League Charitable Fund to ensure that there is a consistent professional standard for continuous professional development across of network and wider supply chain.
Also noted, were the EFL Trust’s strengths in communication methods, including events, regularity of digital network communications and events; their consultation and collaborative style and also their approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Mike Evans, CEO of the EFL Trust, said: “This accreditation is very important to us and our network of delivery teams in communities across England and Wales. At the EFL Trust, two of our core values are a commitment to continually improving and also leading by example, so this ‘Excellent’ rating is a great testament to our organisation living and breathing those values.
“We are also delighted that part of this accreditation is based on an assessment of our organisation by network members, who it is our mission to advise, support, represent and resource.”
In addition, ahead of the NCS programme commencing this summer, the EFL Trust have also undergone their annual Health, Safety and Safeguarding Management System Pre-programme Evaluation, undertaken by Pharos on behalf of the NCS Trust.
The evaluation involves an in-depth review of Governance – including Safeguarding, Health & Safety, and Incident Management – and Procurement and Quality Assurance arrangements for EFL Trust and its network of delivery partners.
The results of the assessment were outstanding, with the EFL Trust scoring 97%.
The EFL Trust will continue to work closely with our network to ensure that these standards and any areas for continuous improvement remain at the heart of our strategy going forward.