Sir Michael Snyder gives his view on the new government group designed to raise awareness of how the public sector procures its services:
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On Monday 1 March, I chaired the first quarterly meeting of the new Professional and Business Services Group. The group has been established to, among other things, look at how the public sector procures consultancy services and give the government a firmer grasp of the challenges facing those in the professional services sector.
On the first task, bidding for public sector contracts can be a lengthy and expensive process, …

Crossrail Limited has today invited expressions of interest for its final tunnel boring contract for the cross-London rail project Crossrail.
The company published the notice for Package C310 in the Official Journal of the European Union. The work comprises the construction of two 6.2m diameter bored tunnels from Plumstead to North Woolwich, at a length of almost 2.6km.
The work includes reviewing designs during pre-construction to make it more buildable, and the construction of tunnels under the Thames.
Rob Holden, chief executive officer of Crossrail, said that this notice meant Crossrail was now …

Defence Estates, the Ministry of Defence’s property arm, is appointing Steve Rice as a director to manage an overhaul of its procurement strategy.
Rice is a chartered surveyor who has already held several roles in Defence Estates. He will be tasked with reforming the way £20bn of forthcoming developments are procured under a new wave of contracts due to be tendered in 2010-13.
Rice is currently head of profession for MoD construction professionals and was project manager for a scheme called Project SLAM to renovate forces housing.
He was formerly head of operations, …

What it is: The Office of Government Commence (OGC) has launched an awareness campaign to promote better access for smaller firms to the £220 billion worth of contract opportunities awarded by the public sector each year.
One part of this is new guidance called Small Supplier, Big Opportunity: Flagging your contracts to SMEs. It hopes to show how the public sector can make it easier for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to find contract they can bid for.
When it was published: 1 February 2010
Why it is important: Authorities procuring property …

The Office of Government Commerce has launched an online procurement guide to help small bidding for £220bn of public sector contracts.
Today, the OGC has launched the Winning The Contract course to help small firms – including property consultants and developers – bid for government work. The guide explains the procurement process and shows businesses how they should submit tenders. The OGC says the public sector procures goods and services worth around £220bn each year.
It also gives tips to help businesses find out where public sector contract opportunities are.
The course builds …

Treasury body the Office of Government Commerce has started an incentive scheme to encourage public sector bodies to procure goods and services jointly.
Today, the OGC announced it has launched a badge for those who procure services in collaboration with other public sector bodies. Collaborative procurement allows public sector bodies to make savings by procuring services together, so they can make savings based on efficiencies of scale.
The OGC announced last month that in 2008/9 the public sector saved £1.4bn through collaborative procurement deals. These can be done in areas including professional …

What it is: The Policy Through Procurement Action Plan is the Office of Government Commerce strategy for making savings from the £220bn that the government spends each year on procuring goods and services.
When it came out: 11 January 2010
Why it is important: It sets out the OGC strategy for government to forward its policy aims of encouraging small and medium sized enterprises to bid for government contracts, and using procurement to reduce the government’s carbon dioxide emissions.
To read the full plan click here: Policy Through Procurement Action Plan

What it is: The Office of Government Commerce has launched guidance for public sector procurers and private sector developers on the Remedies Directive, new rules on EU procurement that entered UK law on 20 December 2009.
When it came out: 7 January 2010
Why it is important: These three guidance documents explain the impact of new rules that make it easier for losing bidders for Official Journal of European Union contracts to challenge the contract award.
To read the full guidance click on the links below:
OGC Remedies Directive guidance – part one
OGC Remedies …

The Office of Government Commerce has published guidance for councils and other public sector bodies on European Union procurement rules that entered UK law before Christmas.
Today, the Office of Government Commerce has published its guidance on how local authorities should implement the Remedies Directive, which aims to strengthen the hand of losing bidders to challenge contracts awarded under the Official Journal of the European Union process. The OGC advice aims to give more clarity on the regulations to procuring bodies and private developers.
The OGC gives more detail on the following …

What it is: On 20 December 2009, the Remedies Directive became UK law. Law firm Davies Arnold Cooper has released a briefing note on its impact.
When it came out: 21 December 2009
Why it is important: The Remedies Directive is part of the Official Journal of the European Union procurement process that gives losing bidders more power to challenge contracts awarded by public sector bodies.
To read the full briefing click here: Remedies Directive – Davies Arnold Cooper