Monthly Archives: August 2012

Will this be an Apple Turnover? As we discussed recently, in the UK courts Samsung’s position was vindicated – it did not infringe Apple’s Patent. To be precise, on 9th July 2012 the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that Samsung Electronics (UK) Limited’s Galaxy Tablet computers, namely the Galaxy Tab 10.1, […]

Strategic inventory The Just In Time principle is fine when it is appropriate to the specific requirements of the buying organisation. Who determines the strategic inventory strategy? Brian Farrington Limited has worked with an international manufacturing company who decided that the suppliers would carry the burden of strategic inventory. Our client insisted that the suppliers […]

We are all in it together! It is a comfort that whistle-blowers are helpful in exposing mismanagement of risk. Sadly, in some cases the whistle-blower’s efforts are unwelcome; see the recent Wirral Council situation. (See press report here) Our research has found Report No. 1004706 from the Washington State Auditor’s Office Washington State Parts and Recreation […]

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 […]