Manchester Achieves Social Value Procurement Goal
Mar 9, 2018
At a recent Power of Procurement event in Manchester, UK, the Centre for Local Economic Strategies announced its findings that Manchester City Council has increased its spending with local businesses from 50% 10 years ago to 71% today. In 2016-17 the council spent £320m on goods and services...
Showcase Your Public Authority’s Procurement Process
Mar 9, 2018
It’s time again for the Procura+ awards which recognise sustainable and innovative public procurements which lead to real improvements in public goods, services, processes and infrastructure. They are co-ordinated by ICLEI, in co-operation with the EU-funded Procure2Innovate project. Call for...
8(a) Program: Participant Terminated for Not Paying Subcontractor
Mar 7, 2018
An 8(a) Program participant was terminated from the 8(a) Program for failing to pay a subcontractor.
According to the SBA, the non-payment reflected poorly on the 8(a) company’s character–and “good character” is a prerequisite for 8(a) Program participation.
The decision of the SBA Office...
A Smarter State Needs Smarter Procurement
Mar 2, 2018
With the UK public-sector IT market expected to be worth £11.9bn by 2019 and some £3.8bn of IT contracts set to end over the next three years, there is a major opportunity for both buyer and supplier. Computer Weekly has published an opinion piece worth reading which sets out recent studies, and...
UK Rail Research and Innovation Network Launched
Mar 2, 2018
The UK rail industry, with help from British Steel, has created a ground-breaking partnership with eight universities to deliver four world-class centres of excellence – they will cover rolling stock, infrastructure, digital systems and testing and trialling. This exciting new £92m rail...
New Platform Launched for UK and International Trade
Mar 2, 2018
“A new business and trade platform designed to increase trade between the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth launched at the House of Commons recently. The Maritime Connects Initiative is a new initiative developed by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, in partnership with...
Russia signs next 10 year state arms procurement programme
Mar 2, 2018
President Vladimir Putin has signed Russia’s new state arms procurement programme for 2018-2028. Last November, the Deputy Defence Minister said the new state arms programme would spend 19 trillion rubles (325 billion US dollars) on military equipment procurement and one trillion rubles (17...
New Practices in IT Software Procurement
Feb 23, 2018
The Institute for Public Procurement (NIGP) released the second part of a series on IT Software Procurement. The first practice on IT Procurement provided an overview of the four commodity types of software, hardware, services, and support, and maintenance. This second practice explores the special...
Interior Department’s Drone Army Fights Fires and Monitors Wildlife
Feb 23, 2018
Federal agencies have been rushing to adopt drones for various uses like border surveillance by the Department of Homeland Security, weather monitoring by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and inspections of decommissioned radiation sites by the Department of Energy. Interior...
The Prison Education Framework: Labour Market Insight for Winning Bids
Feb 22, 2018
Labour Market Insight specialists, Emsi explains how good local knowledge may prove crucial to a successful bidder in the prison education framework Invitation to Tender now live in the UK. “One of the areas that is likely to mark out a successful bid from an unsuccessful one, is the ability of a...
Slovakia Opens Tender for Rail Track Purchase
Feb 22, 2018
The Slovakian state railway operator plans to purchase rails and has announced a tender with an estimated price of just under €19 million, excluding VAT. A further public tender has been launched for welding works and connected activities over a period of two years, worth an estimated €12...
Drones Go-Ahead from Italian Treasury
Feb 22, 2018
Italy’s Economy Ministry has sent Parliament a draft ministerial decree for the “approval of a multi-year programme for the acquisition of Medium Altitude Long Endurance remotely piloted aircrafts,” writes The MediTelegraph. The Air Force is likely to buy the drones from Piaggio Aerospace and...
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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 …