Using Data To Strengthen the Integrity and Effectiveness of Public Procurement – Ideas from the Finalists (Part 1)
Jul 5, 2017
We wrote here an introduction to the Open Contracting Innovation Challenge, which is a competition run by the Open Contracting Partnership and the Open Data Institute to recognise ground-breaking data-driven ideas for improving public procurement. The Innovation Challenge honours original ideas...
European Co-ordinated Defence Procurement – Funding for Two Initiatives Announced
Jul 3, 2017
We have written previously about the idea of European co-operation in terms of defence procurement. It has been discussed for many years, but little tangible has really happened.
But last month there was an announcement of funding for two specific initiatives. There will be a “research window”...
Confronting the Culture of Fear in Government
Jun 28, 2017
It is a common view among observers of the operations of the federal government that agencies are often hobbled by a culture of fear. Civil servants are terrified that if they ever make a mistake, the boom will be lowered on them (the words “get fired” are often used), while success doesn’t...
Open Contracting Innovation Challenge – How would you use data to strengthen public procurement?
Jun 28, 2017
The Open Contracting Innovation Challenge is a competition run by the Open Contracting Partnership and the Open Data Institute to recognise ground-breaking data-driven ideas for improving public procurement. Every third dollar that governments spend goes on public sector contracts – amounting to...
UK’s National Audit Office Slams Nuclear Deal
Jun 24, 2017
On Friday, the UK’s National Audit Office published a damning report into the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and their Hinkley Point C nuclear power deal, entered into with providers EDF and China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN). The headline summary is somewhat...
S&L Procurement Efforts are Struggling, Here’s Why
Jun 21, 2017
The latest survey of government procurement professionals from intelligence firm Onvia show that state and local governments are struggling with insufficient time to prepare solicitations, short staffing, and difficulties with collaboration. According to Route Fifty, “Response agility, customer...
U.S. Survey of Government Procurement Professionals – Findings Will Ring True with Europe, Too!
Jun 21, 2017
Yesterday, June 20, data intelligence firm Onvia released its second annual Survey of Government Procurement Professionals, which can be downloaded here. This is a US-based report, but as we said last year “while this survey garners intelligence from 500-plus government procurement...
Is Government Cost-Cutting Really Starting To Hurt the UK?
Jun 20, 2017
A series of terrible events in the UK in the past few weeks has put the spotlight on government expenditure, as well as raising many other issues of course. The Manchester bombing at the Arianne Grande concert, the London Bridge terrorist attack, and the tragic fire in west London have all led to...
Public Procurement: Making the World a Better Place — One Order at a Time
Jun 16, 2017
The greatest concentration of potentially world-changing spending power does not lie in the hands of the global super-rich. It lies rather in the hands of public procurement staff working in national, regional and local governments around the world. In the OECD alone, the aggregate value of what...
Supplier Engagement to Improve Procurement Outcomes and Early Engagement Risks
Jun 15, 2017
Public Spend Forum Europe (PSF Europe) provides an article overview of a recent report from the Sustainability in Public Procurement (SPP) Regions project. SPP Regions is promoting the creation and expansion of 7 European regional networks of municipalities working together on sustainable public...
E-procurement in Indian Railways – Case Study
Jun 14, 2017
This case study report was developed by the authors and contributors to serve as a reference for practitioners focused on E-procurement systems.
The case study clearly lays out the problem statement, which provides a good summary of the motivating factors behind exploring the use of...
3 Useful Data Cuts to Support Your Supply Market Analysis
Jun 14, 2017
In this brief tutorial, DeltaBid illustrates three useful data cuts to support your broader supply market analysis efforts. Public Spend Forum has a broader set of key principles around conducting supply market analysis, as well as training to support these efforts. What DeltaBid presents here...
Featured
Think you know all about public sector owned professional buying organisations (PBOs) and what they do? Here are ten interesting facts that might just surprise …
Policies and Regulations
It’s no surprise President Trump has been systematically dismantling President Obama’s executive orders, since taking office. Obama himself knew it was a possibility: Frustrated by …
Past performance is an important step in being successful as a federal government contractor. Once firms get into the mid-tier range, they normally have amassed …
A few months back, we published several articles about the very interesting – and somewhat shocking – court case around the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning …
Perspectives and Insights
I have been interested in the question of getting successful commercial companies, especially tech companies, to sell to the government from the time I was …
The Contractor Accountability and Transparency Act of 2017 (S. 651), introduced by Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., is yet another example of a …
Think you know all about public sector owned professional buying organisations (PBOs) and what they do? Here are ten interesting facts that might just surprise …