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Malta – Direct Orders Total Just Under €30 million
Feb 14, 2018
Just under €30 million in direct orders were placed by public entities by three ministers over the past two years, procuring goods and services directly rather than by making a call for bids for open competition, according to information given in Parliament, says Times of Malta. Among them,...
Set Of Principles Needed For Public Outsourcing Contracts, Says Unison
Feb 14, 2018
General Secretary of UK trade union Unison said in a letter to the Cabinet Office that in-house service provision should be the default option for public service delivery. He calls for a set of principles, similar to standards adopted in the 1990s, to be imposed on private contractors that deliver...
Ireland Seeks To Overhaul Public Procurement Model
Feb 14, 2018
The Irish Examiner reports that the State has sought to overhaul the system of public tenders with the aim of achieving better value for money. Chairman of Bid Services consultancy, in a critical review of the system, highlighted the high transaction costs, including heavy delays faced by those...
SBA Size Appeals: Parent Cannot File for Subsidiary
Feb 13, 2018
An SBA size appeal must be filed by someone “adversely affected by a size determination.” Because parent and subsidiary companies are not directly affected by contracts bid upon by their corporate affiliates, those entities cannot file SBA size appeals on behalf of one another.
In a recent...
Sweden Tightens IT Outsourcing Approach – More Signs that the UK Outsources for Outsourcing Sake?
Feb 13, 2018
In January, the Swedish Government took steps to change its policy around IT outsourcing to private firms. It introduced rules, which will come into effect in April, to tighten security in IT outsourcing deals, affecting hundreds of outsourcing projects a year.
From April, all government agencies...
New UK Military Rapid Procurement Process for Urgent Needs
Feb 9, 2018
In a major change in UK military policy, the emergency procurement of new equipment in response to field commanders to deal with emerging threats now has to be paid out of the UK Ministry of Defence’s own budget rather than from the UK Treasury’s (finance ministry’s) reserve fund for crisis...
SmallGovCon Week In Review: February 5-9, 2018
Feb 9, 2018
It has been a cold week here in Lawrence, Kansas. I hope everyone is staying warm. It’s time to get some hot cocoa (or the Friday afternoon beverage of your choice) and enjoy the top government contracting news and notes for the week.
This week’s news includes the release of the major...
French Defence Spending Mammoth Boost to Hit NATO Target
Feb 9, 2018
This week France’s defence ministry announced plans to raise its spending by more than 40% – from 34.2 billion euros in 2018 to 50 billion euros in 2025. The move is to bring it in line with NATO targets following complaints that the US accounts for 70% of combined NATO defence spending and...
Is the FAR getting in the way of Early Supplier Involvement in defense projects?
Feb 8, 2018
Product development within the U.S. defense industry tends to follow a waterfall-phased lifecycle development approach beginning at the concept level and concluding at the subsystem/component level. The concept level design phase is typically summarized in a system concept document. This phase is...
HE Smart Motorways Procurement Supply Chain Consultation Begins
Feb 8, 2018
Highways England is seeking the views of its supply chain in the development of a new procurement model for its Smart Motorways Programme. “The aim of the new model is to enable Highways England to achieve its ambitions for the strategic road network through securing a sustainable supply chain by...
Why Clarity In The Procurement Process Is Paramount
Feb 8, 2018
In December the UK Technology and Construction Court ruled that the Ministry of Defence acted in breach of its obligations of transparency and equal treatment in rejecting a tender from the incumbent supplier of, and one of the bidders selected to tender for, port, maritime and logistical services...
IACCM’s Excellence in Contract Management Awards
Feb 8, 2018
Entries are invited for this global award in contract management which recognises the personal initiative of an individual practitioner who has shown outstanding leadership or endeavor in the field of contract or commercial management. The IACCM Contracting Excellence Awards are open to all...
