All Learning Content
HS2 – Politicians Cannot Guarantee Work for Local Workers in Fair Bidding Scenario
Nov 6, 2017
Politicians – don’t you just love ‘em? With their sensible views and analytical approach to issues, their propriety when it comes to sex and cash, their ability to stay rational rather than being swayed by short-term electoral or personal gain, they really are an example to us all.
Or maybe...
Salient Characteristics in Government Solicitations: Close Isn’t Good Enough
Nov 6, 2017
It’s a Sunday afternoon and instead of watching football (CHIEFS!), you’re shopping for a new refrigerator. You explain to the salesman your must-haves: a black refrigerator with a bottom-drawer freezer and an in-door water dispenser. But rather than showing you refrigerators that meet your...
SmallGovCon Week In Review: October 30-November 3, 2017
Nov 3, 2017
Although the temperatures outside may be dropping, things are heating up in the contracting world. Now one month into the 2018 federal fiscal year, agencies have new budgets and there is a lot money to be spent. We will keep a close eye on awards, regulation changes, and related issues to federal...
UK’s New Health and Social Care Network – More Open Market for Suppliers
Nov 3, 2017
The Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) is a new data network for health and care organisations, across the UK; it is designed to help integrate and transform health and social care services by giving them access to, and enabling them to share, information more widely and efficiently. This...
GAO: Email Delivery Receipt Didn’t Confirm Proposal Submission
Nov 3, 2017
You might think that if you send an email with the delivery receipt option and the delivery receipt comes back, the email was delivered. But when an offeror submits a proposal by email, does a delivery receipt mean that the agency necessarily received the proposal in its inbox?
At least under the...
Federal IT Reforms Free Up Funds in Budget Forecast
Nov 2, 2017
Federal IT reforms from the previous administration are starting to have an effect, but there’s a long way to go according to industry executives. The government saved about $7 billion during the 2017 fiscal year through a combination of closing and consolidating federal data centers and an...
Councils Should Not Take On Large Public Procurement Projects
Nov 2, 2017
An Edinburgh tram inquiry is examining why the tram system was delivered years late and £400m over budget. The former transport convenor told the inquiry he believes local councils should not be responsible for large public procurement projects as they create too many opportunities for division...
Ofcom Breaks Own Procurement Rules
Nov 2, 2017
The UK communications regulator Ofcom has concluded that it broke its own procurement rules when a contract was awarded to a lobbying firm run by two former Labour special advisers and an ex Plaid Cymru AM – reports Wales Online. The company concerned had been contracted by Ofcom Wales to monitor...
GAO Protest Provides a Cautionary Tale in Teaming––PIA and OCI
Nov 2, 2017
Contractors are all too familiar with teaming agreements, joint ventures, and prime/subcontractor arrangements. In the highly competitive government contracts market for information technology (“IT”) services, such agreements can offer significant leverage. Contractors are winning more...
Drones! And How to Buy Them
Nov 2, 2017
Here’s one advantage the public sector has over the machines: drones can’t do our jobs until we figure out how to procure them. So at the risk of accelerating a dystopian state, we’re hosting a webinar on how to buy drones. Why? Because let’s face it, there are things that drones can do...
Apply Now – Free Assistance for ICT Innovation Procurements
Nov 2, 2017
European public procurers can get concrete help in preparing their innovation procurements. Assistance is available for free to those who intend to start PCP and PPI (pre-commercial procurements and public procurements of innovation) to bring ICT-based solutions to market. This is an initiative of...
Highways England New Procurement Approach
Nov 2, 2017
Chief Executive of Highways England, Jim O’Sullivan, has revealed the highways body is looking at new ways to award work based on contractor performance as part of its new procurement model. We read in New Civil Engineer that contractors could be judged by the client on how well a scheme is...
