Monthly Archives: December 2011

contract and vendor management

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Contract management requires the application of a wide range of knowledge and skills in very specific circumstances. A structured process is absolutely necessary to facilitate establishing facts, forming relationships and reporting salient information to stakeholders. Our recent research into facets of contract management led us to researching a dispute between South West Water Services Ltd […]

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A Time to Reconsider Price Indexation

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

The economic climate dictates that, it is time for procurement departments to re-examine their approach to the use of price indexation formulae. Our informal research shows that in the UK there is an extensive use of the Retail Price Index (RPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI). These are produced by the Office for National Statistics. […]

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appealing contract award

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

This update is aimed at those in the public sector who summarily dismiss the private sector organisations who have been unsuccessful with their tenders. It is also designed to help private sector organisations who are very unhappy at the manner in which they are brushed off by some public sector buyers.  In the Court of […]

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battle of the forms

Monday, October 24th, 2011

We receive many queries from clients who are asking us ‘Whose contract conditions apply?’ The starting point is often the Excello case. We suspect that the whole of the procurement profession has studied this case, very diligently. The circumstances of each situation needs to be clearly understood before reaching a conclusion. We monitor legal cases […]

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Supplier’s financial position

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Supplier’s financial position We are always advising clients to monitor a supplier’s financial position. Knowing the position at the time we obtain annual reports is no longer enough, given the incidence of financial failures. We advocate that it is a strategic role for procurement to undertake monitoring supplier’s finances. It is pertinent to read the […]

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Procurement Fraud – A Mars a day……..

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

We have been researching this topic and have encountered a case that will interest our readers. It is 4Eng Ltd v Harper and others [2009] EWHC 2633 (Ch). This is a highly complex case. It began with the purchase in 2001 by 4Eng of Excel Engineering. Excel was a company which provided engineering services primarily […]

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In-house Contract Management Training Course

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

“Contract Management requires the attention of a range of knowledge and skills to ensure contractors and suppliers deliver their obligations under a contract. The role of Con­tract Management is undertaken by a range of staff including Purchasing , Heads of Service and external provid­ers and administrative staff” The Risks The risks attached to non-delivery of […]

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