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Procurement Innovation – What Does It Really Mean?
May 17, 2018
We know that “Procurement Innovation” is something that is dear to the hearts of many Public Spend Forum readers and indeed many working on both the buy and supply sides of the public procurement world, across many countries.
But as this has become a hot topic, it has also led to some...
Germany Mandates PEPPOL for Invoicing to the Public Sector
May 17, 2018
Last month the German National IT Planning Council decided to mandate use of the PEPPOL eDelivery Network as the web service for e-invoices to public authorities in Germany. The timeline for implementation by federal, regional and local authorities will be decided in October. As part of these...
The High Price of Free Procurement Software
May 17, 2018
An article we found this week that we think is worthy of your attention is by Omar Salaymeh and appears on Purchasing B2B, in which he claims “… ‘free’ platforms affect process openness and the ability to keep pace with innovation.” In the case of free procurement software, he says, many...
The Case for Plain Language Contracts
May 17, 2018
We read with interest ‘The Case for Plain-Language Contracts’ in the Harvard Business Review by Shawn Burton – and thanks to Hal Good for highlighting it on LinkedIn. In it the author lays down plainly and simply why out-dated, ‘jargonese’-style contracts are – or should be – a thing...
Public Sector Contracts Should Be Awarded to Social Business not to Lowest Bidder – Call for Action
May 11, 2018
A paper just published by the Social Market Foundation think-tank, features Phillip Ullmann, Chief Energiser of Cordant Group, calling for a government overhaul of public service contracts which should be awarded on the basis of “social value” and not just financial cost. ‘Public sector...
GovFlex Helps Government Contracting With Changes in Talent Acquisition
May 9, 2018
The revolution in talent acquisition has led to new companies harnessing technology to find qualified talent within the govcon marketplace. One example, GovFlex, is getting ready to roll out v2.0 this month. The company was founded in 2014 as an online service connecting both government agencies...
How Smart Operations Can Strengthen Federal Procurement
May 9, 2018
Federal Times
There is a great need for effective procurement as a means to improve levels of education, infrastructure, public safety, and more. Yet expectations for public sector procurement continue to rise as budgets shrink and the “do more with less” mantra prevails. For leaders seeking a...
How Small UK Firm Won Major Tech Contracts with Large US Public Authorities
May 3, 2018
This week Reuters ran a very interesting article, an interview in fact with the owner of UK small business Masabi which provides mobile ticketing solutions for transport systems. The attention-grabbing opening line read “How does a small British company win major technology contracts with large...
GAO Releases Updated Bid Protest Guide
May 2, 2018
Coinciding with the May 1, 2018 requirement that GAO bid protests be filed using the new Electronic Protest Docketing System, the GAO has released an updated version of its “Descriptive Guide” to the GAO bid protest process.
This Guide–the tenth edition published by GAO–is packed with...
SBA Rejects Major Changes in Size Standard Methodology
May 1, 2018
The SBA has rejected several recommendations for major changes in how the SBA calculates small business size status.
In commentary published in the Federal Register last week, the SBA rejected (among other things) recommendations that it use average employee count to evaluate the sizes of...
Updated EU Guidance on Public Procurement
Apr 27, 2018
The European Commission has published updated guidance on Public Procurement for practitioners around avoiding the most common errors in projects funded under the European Structural and Investment Funds. This is for guidance only and is intended to encourage good practice. It is aimed primarily at...
Recognizing the Need for Innovation in Acquisition
Apr 26, 2018
The President’s Management Agenda lays out ambitious plans for the federal government to modernize IT, prepare its future workforce, and improve the way it manages major acquisitions. But many program acquisition officers cite time pressure and lack of bandwidth to learn new tools as barriers to...
