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We are frankly astonished at the responses we get from companies at times when we want to spend money with them. We are currently helping a client with the sourcing of their engineering fabrications. This is a multi-million pound contract. Our initial desk research identified a number of potential suppliers that we decided to contact [...]

I was asked very recently by a client how much saving they could expect from the renegotiation of an offer by their incumbent outsourced provider of specialist IT services to extend their contract. The Service Provider proposed a 10% increase. The Client was UK based and the Service provider domiciled in India. However I needed [...]

It  is difficult to exaggerate the risks created by those who manipulate procurement controls. It is ‘unfortunate’ that the manipulation is not uncovered by audit personnel, nor are senior managers and directors always maintaining enough vigilance. So – how does the manipulation operate in practice? 1. Awarding contracts at below authorisation level and subsequently raising [...]

We have been researching procurement expenditure on a wide range of “one-off” procurements. These typically challenge the knowledge and skills of procurement specialists simply because on “one-offs” there is little or no experience against which to benchmark. Imagine you were asked to tender the removal of large quantities of scrap where the contractor would sell [...]

Our Premise: Corporate risk management is an essential business activity. Risk mitigation strategies lie at the heart of Corporate Governance. What is the contribution to these mitigation strategies from the Procurement & Supply Chain Management function? It is rare to find robust methodologies in place that will, in a structured way, identify the potential risks. [...]

Brian Farrington Ltd, one of the World’s longest established procurement consultants has appointed Stephen Ashcroft as a Procurisk™ Specialist.  Stephen, reporting to Dr Brian Farrington, Managing Director of Brian Farrington Ltd will lead the launch of the innovative web-based application, Procurisk™ which facilitates a structured assessment of Procurement & Supply Chain Risks.  Stephen has experience as a [...]

Liquidated Damages (LD’s) are a misunderstood and emotive concept for procurement specialists. A starting point for clarity is the fact that in English Law a penalty clause is illegal. An LD clause is penal if it provides for payment of money stipulated as ‘in terrorem’ of the offending party to force him to perform the [...]