Armed Forces announce launch of first Cyber Regiment in major modernisation
Jun 4, 2020
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace today announced a new Cyber Regiment has been launched to protect frontline operations from digital attack as Defence continues its modernisation to combat threats. The Ministry of Defence has launched 13th Signal Regiment, the UK Armed Forces’ first dedicated Cyber...
How health sector supply chains and procurement strategies need to change following the coronavirus
May 29, 2020
Procurement must become centre stage in the National Health Service if we’re to cope with the public health demands of the nation, says ITProPortal in an article looking at how procurement can contribute going forward and how the health sector buying ecosystem needs to change. Words like...
Could a more dynamic model be used over Central Purchasing Bodies?
May 28, 2020
Albert Sanchez-Graells from the University of Bristol – School of Law, has just released his recent paper ‘Public Procurement by Central Purchasing Bodies, Competition and SMEs: Towards a More Dynamic Model?’ He writes that while the creation of central purchasing bodies (CPBs) sought to...
Buying responsible technology in government
May 28, 2020
A new report ‘Buying better technology in government,’ has been produced by think tank Doteveryone – which was founded by Martha Lane Fox, the digital entrepreneur who helped set up the UK Government Digital Service (GDS) in 2011. It argues that civil service organisations should improve...
Local UK procurement shakeup to tackle construction SMEs’ recession fears
May 21, 2020
A regional shakeup of procurement expertise for local authorities and housing associations in England is aiming to help councils and construction SMEs avoid some of the worst economic inequalities post coronavirus. The London Housing Consortium is placing emphasis on highly localised procurement...
Transparency International Romania demands information on state of emergency procurements to be made public
May 21, 2020
In a release issued earlier this week Transparency International Romania says “Given the many questions and suspicions raised both in the country and internationally about the award of various contracts with public funds under the pretext of the state of emergency, Transparency International...
Austria: Legal guide on public contracting in light of the COVID-19 pandemic – and other countries
May 21, 2020
Global Compliance News reports that the current climate surrounding the COVID-19 crisis requires a significant level of flexibility in contractual relationships. To provide flexibility, the public procurement process has been accelerated to help reduce deadlines for submission request. Permitting...
MPs slam MoD’s ‘utter failure’ to improve contract management as nuclear project costs soar
May 21, 2020
Civil Service World reports that the UK Ministry of Defence’s poor management of contracts has left taxpayers picking up the bill after nuclear infrastructure projects have swelled beyond their planned time and budget. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found three nuclear infrastructure...
Covid-19: lessons from Italy on public-private healthcare procurement
May 14, 2020
An article from the collaboration between The European Sting with the World Economic Forum explains how the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown into sharp focus the shortcomings of public-private healthcare procurement systems. This crisis presents an opportunity to learn and to reshape these systems...
Covid-19 spearheads digital transformation in the public sector
May 14, 2020
The need for rapid response to the COVID-19 crisis has caused many departments to accelerate changes and deliver them in a matter of hours and days, which might have taken years to deliver in normal circumstances. During lockdown, when we have borne witness to an unprecedented surge in remote...
New tracker highlights the issue of B2B late payment across the UK and Europe during Covid-19
May 14, 2020
Small businesses are struggling with debt during the pandemic. Across Europe, businesses are facing insolvency due to declines in revenue and delayed payment. One UK report argues a fifth of SMEs in the UK will collapse due to a lack of cash because of Covid-19. Separate research by the...
A drone service for delivering urgent medical supplies is being trialled on the Isle of Wight in response to the Covid-19 outbreak
May 14, 2020
A trial funded by the UK Department for Transport and led by Solent Transport is the first of its kind and aims to benefit patients by speeding up the delivery of medical supplies, says Engineering & Technology. The drone has been designed and built by the University of Southampton to transport...
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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 …