Monthly Archives: November 2012

It has been reported that the BBC have paid ‘headhunters’ Egon Zehnder, fees of almost £400,000 plus VAT to fill 3 senior BBC vacancies since 2010. These positions were the digital media director, head of vision and the Director General. The process twice produced internal candidates, one of which was George Entwistle. Egon Zehnder, it […]

The invoice payment process in any organisation carries potential risk. A topical story is the former Labour minister, Denis MacShane who wrongly claimed at least £7,500 in expenses. A Parliamentary committee observed after work by the Parliamentary Commission for Standards concluded that between 2004 and 2008 MacShane submitted 19 invoices totalling £12,900 for ‘research and […]

An ICAC report dated October 2012, “Investigation into allegations that staff from a number of Local Councils and other public authorities accepted secret benefits from suppliers and that staff from the local councils facilitated payment of false invoices from suppliers”, included revelatory findings. In some quarters there is a ‘heads in the sand’ mentality where, […]

  BID EVALUATION – TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS There is a large undercurrent of complaints about the bid evaluation practices in the UK Public Sector. We are aware of widespread dissatisfaction with: I.            the actual process II.            the arrangement feedback given to unsuccessful bidders III.            the point blank refusal to have face to face debriefs and […]

West Coast Franchise – Questions for the Minister Almost everyone is familiar with the Minister’s announcement about the West Coast Railway Franchise. It is interesting to see the commentaries emanating from all sources – being wise after the event. Readers of our briefings (see Brian Farrington Ltd news August 29th 2012) will recall that instantly […]

New York IT Procurement – Round 2 Introduction & Health Warning Please refer to our health warning in our earlier briefing paper. In this ‘episode’ we are expanding on another issue that warrants a ‘lessons learned’ review. Poor DoITT Contract Management Contributes to Increased Contract Expenditures The Audit Report comments that “DoITT did not reduce […]

Brian Farrington Ltd – Training Directory Our ‘blue-chip’ clients have the choice of the World’s leading training organisations. The fact they have chosen our expertise is, we believe, a testimony to our abilities. We have been training providers for over 30 years, presenting literally hundreds of courses. The courses detailed here are an indication of our […]