Government concedes public authorities will have to cancel construction contracts
Jun 26, 2020
In its previous public procurement guidance, the UK Cabinet Office told public authorities to keep paying “at risk” contractors if projects had been stopped by the coronavirus lockdown, to keep cash flowing in the supply chain. It now concedes that public authorities may be forced to start...
Data Shows Significant Drop in Government IT Services Spending Post COVID-19
Jun 26, 2020
Federal and central governments across the globe have shifted spending priorities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, with notable declines in IT spending worldwide, according to a new report. The report notes the COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes for every sector but argues “the health crisis is...
Online tools for SMEs and public sector to better adopt renewable energy sources
Jun 26, 2020
As green public procurement will play a key role in the EU’s efforts to become a more resource-efficient economy, an EU-funded initiative has introduced a search engine and a repository to gather data, share information, and match the needs of public procurers and SMEs in embracing renewable...
Making socially responsible public procurement work
Jun 26, 2020
Socially responsible public procurement (SRPP) is about achieving positive social outcomes in public contracts. Procurement affects a large number of people, whether as users of public services, those involved in production and delivery, or staff of the buying organisation. Beyond those directly...
Exploring blockchain-based public procurement to reduce corruption
Jun 18, 2020
In partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Office of the Inspector General of Colombia (Procuraduría General de Colombia), the World Economic Forum has led a multi-stakeholder team to investigate, design and trial the use of blockchain technology for corruption-prone...
Geospatial Commission plans UK national location data framework
Jun 18, 2020
The Geospatial Commission, a body within the UK Cabinet Office, is planning to develop a national location data framework to support future technologies by 2025, UK Authority reports. It chair, Sir Andrew Dilnot, said: “Location data already has a significant impact on our lives. Better location...
Procurement Policy Note – Recovery and Transition from COVID-19
Jun 11, 2020
This week the UK Cabinet Office released a Procurement Policy Note (PPN) which sets out information and guidance for public bodies on payment of their suppliers to ensure service continuity during the coronavirus outbreak. It updates and builds on the provisions contained in PPN 02/20 and outlines...
Almost a quarter of councils in England reported fraud or corruption in procurement processes
Jun 11, 2020
A report into local government procurement fraud by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government found 23% of 86 councils experienced fraud or corruption in 2017-18, but said this was likely to be the tip of the iceberg. The report estimated local authority fraud losses at between...
Guidelines for AI procurement
Jun 11, 2020
Recognising that AI has the potential to greatly improve public services by reducing costs, enhancing quality and freeing up valuable time, UK.Gov has published a summary of best practice addressing specific challenges of acquiring Artificial Intelligence technologies in government. These new...
UK NHS Shared Business Services launches Cyber Security Services Framework
Jun 4, 2020
A new free access cybersecurity framework has been rolled out by the UK’s National Health Service Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) designed to help the health service and the wider public sector with cybersecurity threats, recovery and management. The ‘Cyber Security Services Framework’...
Autonomous bus fleets trial in five European cities – follow-up procurement to come
Jun 4, 2020
Following years of developing autonomous shuttle solutions, the FABULOS project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, has announced that it is bringing robot buses to the streets of Europe. From spring 2020, three robot bus...
UK government Covid supplier update – deals signed with more than 100 new suppliers
Jun 4, 2020
The UK government has signed deals with more than 100 new suppliers from around the world as well as ramping up domestic production to help meet demand for PPE. It has signed contracts to manufacture 2 billion items of PPE in the UK and over 1.48 billion items of PPE have been delivered so far to...
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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 …
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 …