UK Must Rejoin Government Procurement Agreement
Oct 11, 2018
Bloomberg writes that the US could block the UK from a 46-nation public procurement agreement after it leaves the EU, and that the UK is looking to rejoin the Government Procurement Agreement which was set up under the auspices of the World Trade Agreement. The UK currently participates in the GPA...
Public Spend Forum’s Public Procurement Weekly Roundup
Oct 5, 2018
Amazon and USAF partner up on e-commerce program, DoD awards over $2 billion in year-end contracts, and acquisition leaders are looking to new techniques for IT modernization. All this and more in Public Spend Forum’s Weekly Roundup for October 5, 2018.
Amazon, Air Force Team Up on E-Commerce...
Guide for Overseas Companies On How To Access NHS Procurement Channels
Oct 4, 2018
The UK government has issued guidance for overseas companies on how to access NHS (the country’s National Health Service) procurement channels in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It also outlines the aims of the new NHS Supply Chain operating model put in place to improve...
Local Authority Surveys Local Businesses on Experience of Pitching for Public Sector Contracts
Oct 4, 2018
Great to see a local authority taking the initiative to better understand how local businesses perceive public sector tendering. The English county of Suffolk, with a relatively high procurement spend, has commissioned Suffolk Chamber of Commerce to survey local businesses on their recent...
Tackling Modern Slavery in the Supply Chain – Private Sector Needs Government Incentives
Oct 4, 2018
The UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand say other governments could do more to tackle modern slavery in global supply chains. “By working together, the UK and its partners can use their $600 billion of purchasing power as a lever to prevent forced labour in both the public and private...
Measures To Address Late Payment Issues
Oct 4, 2018
Open Access Government discusses the UK Cabinet Office’s efforts to address the issue of late payments in government contracts. “Figures from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) show small firms are owed an average of £6,142, mostly from larger organisations not paying them for goods and...
SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 24-28, 2018
Sep 29, 2018
Happy end of FY 2018, everybody! Let’s celebrate properly, with the SmallGovCon Week In Review.
In this week’s edition, we’ll discuss end-of-fiscal-year spending (appropriately enough), new FAR regulations, and government contracting officials behaving badly.
Have a great weekend!
Federal...
Hungary and EU in Dispute Affecting Funds Worth $1.8 billion
Sep 28, 2018
A dispute continues between the EU and Hungary over the country’s handling of EU-funded public procurement projects with “widespread irregularities.” The European Union could withhold, or seriously delay, development funds worth $1.8 billion. Read the full story on Business Insider.
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Public Spend Forum’s Public Procurement Weekly Roundup
Sep 28, 2018
HHS aims to streamline acquisition with emerging tech and DHS makes strides with Innovation lab. All this and more in Public Spend Forum’s Weekly Roundup for September 28, 2018.
HHS Combines AI, Automation, Blockchain for Acquisition Project
Much of the discussion around IT modernization has...
How Well Does DFID Secure Value for Money? – New Report
Sep 28, 2018
The Independent Commission for Aid Impact has released a report “Achieving value for money through procurement,” which is a performance review of DFID – the Department for International Development. In 2016-17 DFID spent £1.4 billion, or 14% of its budget, through commercial suppliers on...
New Laws on Access to Finance for Small Business
Sep 28, 2018
The UK government is considering new laws to arm small businesses against unfair contracts that prevent them from raising money from unpaid invoices. “Invoice finance” means they can raise money early on before an invoice is paid by assigning their right to be paid to a finance provider. The...
FOI Shows English Councils Still Concentrating Spend on Top 5 Suppliers
Sep 28, 2018
English local authorities have made changes to supplier risk management practices following the collapse of Carillion, which disrupted 450 government contracts. But a FOI request carried out by spend management firm Ivalua revealed that of the London Borough, Metropolitan, and County...
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Perspectives and Insights
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