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Scottish Government Criticised Over Public Sector Print Procurement Policy

Sep 14, 2018
Trade body Print Scotland has hit out at the Scottish Government over its procurement policy claiming that it would leave public sector work “out of the reach of all but the biggest Scottish printers” – writes Insider.co.uk. A new Print and Associated Services (PAS) Framework Agreement...

Amazon B2B Announces First Large Public Sector Contract in the UK

Sep 14, 2018
Last week Amazon B2B announced its first large UK public sector contract since its launch in the UK last year worth £600m, supplying the county of Yorkshire’s schools, social services and emergency services. The deal is with Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation in the shape of a five-year contract....

SmallGovCon Week in Review: September 3-7, 2018

Sep 8, 2018
As always, we wanted to bring you a roundup of government contracting news. In this week’s edition of the SmallGovCon Week in Review, we’ll take a look at some potential updates to GSA contracts, reminders of the trouble that comes along with defrauding the government, and more. Have a great...

Got Proposal Submissions? Plan Ahead, Submit Early, and Confirm Receipt

Sep 7, 2018
We are nearing the end of FY2018 and that means some contractors are feverishly working on proposals with hopes of winning contracts during the fiscal year-end spending surge. These contracts tend to be lucrative (“use it or lose it” mentality), as each has the potential to help you increase...

Public Spend Forum’s Public Procurement Weekly Roundup

Sep 7, 2018
JEDI cloud bid deadline extended to October, new GAO report discusses FEMA challenges last year, DHS awards $668 million CDM contract, and more. This is Public Spend Forum’s Weekly Roundup for September 7, 2018. DoD Moves Deadline for JEDI Cloud Bids to October The Department of Defense (DoD)...

Bulgaria Road Tragedy Suggests Corruption-Ridden Public Tender System

Sep 5, 2018
The fatal bus crash in Bulgaria which claimed 17 lives and left 20 others injured has sparked public outcry at the state of the country’s roads. Ministers have stepped down over the tragedy following the results of a probe which found that the road in question had been repaired using low-quality...

TfL Award With No Competition

Sep 5, 2018
Transport for London (TfL) is awarding a £380m ‘interim’ contract for radio and telecommunications services for the London Underground, without competition. TfL says “for ‘technical reasons and reasons connected with exclusive IP rights’, there is currently ‘no reasonable...

Public Sector Technology Buying ‘Troubling’

Sep 5, 2018
Raconteur has run a story highlighting how ‘backward  the public sector can be when it comes to technology,” – although it doesn’t dismiss that there have been some shining examples. It places Procurement firmly at the heart of the government tech challenge: “Government has made...

Tenders Direct on Pitfalls to Avoid

Sep 5, 2018
Tenders Direct has published some tips on how to avoid the common pitfalls that even established suppliers make. “Make sure you’re paying attention to developments in public procurement on a local and national level – tendering is not the same game as it was in previous decades,” it says. ...

Scottish Councils Awarding Less Works to Small Local Businesses

Sep 4, 2018
The Scotsman reports that the number of Scottish businesses winning work from councils has dropped by almost a half in the past decade. This comes despite government reforms to increase local procurement. the Federation of Small Businesses Scotland Policy chair said that money that is spent...

Public Spend Forum’s Public Procurement Weekly Roundup

Aug 31, 2018
The Customs and Border Protection agency’s airport facial matching tech has a successful attempt, the Technology Modernization Fund gets recent praise, and much more. This is Public Spend Forum’s Weekly Roundup for August 31, 2018. DHS Procurement Innovation Lab Head Lists 9 Ways to Streamline...

Public Contracts and Risky Behaviours – Paper

Aug 30, 2018
We missed this over the holiday period: The British Library website, under social welfare, houses a paper by Newcastle Council for Voluntary Service on the potential and unintentional effects of public sector contracting and procurement. It takes a number of recent high-profile examples from the...