All Learning Content
UK Railways Issues – A Victim of its Own Success?
Jul 7, 2017
Amongst other intractable issues, the UK is struggling with the question of how to best run its railway system. Train operating companies paid over £800 million to the UK government last year under the various franchise agreements, but the taxpayer stumps up over £4 billion a year via Network...
Using Data To Strengthen the Integrity and Effectiveness of Public Procurement – Ideas from the Finalists (Part 2)
Jul 7, 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 recognize ground-breaking data-driven ideas for improving public procurement. The Innovation Challenge honors original ideas for...
Update on EU Trade Deal With Japan
Jul 7, 2017
After four years of talks, Tokyo is to open up to agricultural goods, and Brussels to Japanese cars. The trade deal, presented to Brussels this week “in principle,” will scrap 99 percent of tariffs that have impeded exports by Japan’s carmakers to the EU and EU farmers will benefit from...
HCA’s Efforts to Investigate Bid Rigging Extended to Smaller Amounts Which Affect SMEs
Jul 7, 2017
Hungarian authorities and the administration are stepping up efforts to fight bid rigging in public procurement. The Hungarian Competition Authority (HCA) is one authority, in particular, that is fighting anti-competitive behavior in public procurement. In Hungary bid rigging in public procurement...
ICYMI: Agencies Required to Comply With ‘Buy America’ by September
Jul 7, 2017
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Commerce released guidance on June 30 instructing agencies to comply with and enforce President Trump’s “Buy America” executive order. The order requires agencies to review any free trade agreements with foreign government...
Public Procurement Reform Could Add £14 Billion to Local UK Economies
Jul 7, 2017
A recent report, in response to the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, is calling for a clearer contribution of Social Value for all public sector procurement over £10m. It is possible to achieve high levels of social value and local spend, it says, so the government should now look to set a...
USDA’s Innovative Procurement Success Story
Jul 7, 2017
Ed Harper, the Food and Nutrition Service’s director of the Office of Program Integrity for Child Nutrition Programs, worked with the Presidential Innovation Fellows to create a new online application prototype for free and reduced lunches. Harper explains they started under the America Competes...
Nevada’s Largest City Going ‘Smart’
Jul 7, 2017
City hall leaders are looking to improve how Las Vegas gathers and analyzes information using the Internet of Things. The city is about two months into its pilot of Cisco’s Smart+Connected Digital Platform, with sensors at 20 intersections downtown and a plan to scale the network throughout the...
Procuring Open Source Software
Jul 6, 2017
Government Computer News interviewed several open-source advocates in government and industry and came away with five “fundamental lessons” to help government professionals incorporate open source software into their program and procurement plans. The lessons include understanding the end...
This July 4th, Honor the U.S. by Bringing your Technology and Software Solutions to Government
Jul 5, 2017
If you work for a company with a potential solution or technology for government, yet believe the government doesn’t have the sophistication to value your capabilities, I suggest you think again. Having been a supplier to government as the founder of a strategy consulting firm for almost 15...
DoD Testing Alternative to CAC Cards
Jul 5, 2017
The Pentagon is testing a potential replacement for the Common Access Card (CAC), just one year after former CIO Terry Halvorsen first mentioned the idea. Last year, Halvorsen said DoD would retire the CAC within two years and that the replacement would not be a single card, but a collection of...
Dutch Rail Company Fined 41 Million Euros for Procurement Fraud
Jul 5, 2017
The Dutch Authority on Consumers and Market (ACM) has fined the Netherlands principal passenger railway operator, NS, 41 million euros for fraud in the procurement of a contract for regional public transit in Limburg. According to NL Times, where you can read the full story, the firm misused...
