Monthly Archives: August 2012

ALL CHANGE! Today’s risk is not about Virgin Trains losing the West Coast Franchise. It is about the resistance buyers get when they suggest using a new supplier. How many ‘reasons’ can you think of to block such a change? Here are some we have encountered: –          Their quality won’t be any good –          They […]

  Architects of their own demise. In a recent case (European Commission V Federal Republic of Germany), Germany was found to have infringed the European Procurement Directives. When I say Germany, I don’t mean the entire population but the actions of the municipality of Niedernhausen has caused the State to be in the dock. In […]

Beware the dreaded TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) Regulations. They have acquired notoriety for being complex, emotive, being difficult to understand and a thorn in the side of negotiators who are transferring services from the company to another and/or outsourcing services. TUPE advice and guidance from lawyers and HR specialists will not come […]

‘Without an adequate workforce to manage and oversee the contracted projects, there is an increased risk of poor project outcomes and vulnerability to fraud, waste and abuse.’ This extract, from an audit report, could lead to an examination question. ‘Define an adequate workforce within the context of procurement and contracted projects.’ The word adequate could […]

Organising the factory visit It is good practice to visit a factory where work will be carried out to the specification in the contract. The purpose of the visit should be to confirm what the potential supplier has said in the quotation or tender. Who should go on the visit? There is no right answer […]

Procurement specialist recognised for Olympics support Stephen Ashcroft of Sustainable Procurement specialists Brian Farrington Ltd has been selected to be included in an exhibition to highlight the Northwest region’s contribution to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Thousands of people from across the Northwest have been directly involved in projects connected with the Games and the […]

We’re going back to basics with this post. We meet non-procurement specialists with “procurement” responsibilities that just need a ‘nudge’… To set up and manage supplier (vendor or contractor) engagements is tough, especially because some suppliers are much better at bidding than they are at delivering the contract. How do you get the core information […]