Maintaining performance
The 15 strongest performing councils in adult social care have been highlighted in IMPOWER’s latest productivity INDEX. Ralph Cook looks at the results.
What local government should ask startups
12/02/2020 Investment in digital solutions to service delivery may help to deliver greater public satisfaction with local government at lower cost. Edd Elliot offers a few tips to buyers seeking to understand whether a small business is offering a solution that matches your problem. |
Leisure centre contracts in the era of the climate crisis
07/02/2020 Why contracts for the future operation and maintenance of leisure facilities need to change to accommodate issues like the climate emergency. |
Maximising tech spend
09/01/2020 David Beggs calls on local government to take a much broader view of technology to get the most value from it. |
Lost in translation: sustainability down the construction supply chain
08/01/2020 Luke Deamer, Erica Russell and Jacquetta Lee explore sustainability down the construction supply chain. |
Councils being charged 'shocking' markup on IT products
30/09/2019 Councils are paying almost four times the recommended mark-up on technology products, new analysis has revealed. |
Going the extra mile
08/08/2019 Paul Doe explains how local authorities can deliver value to citizens beyond connectivity. |
Nottingham Council to supply its own water
26/07/2019 Nottingham City Council is set to become the first council to run its own water services in-house, saving an estimated £64,000 a year. |
FORS: supply chain compliance to ensure efficiency
22/07/2019 Rajinder Sharma explains how the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme helps local authorities to drive up best practice and strengthen its supply chain. |
Setting the standard
18/07/2019 Terry Coyle explains why it makes sense to work with a company that has its management system and auditor competency processes approved by UKAS. |
Council backs campaign for procurement reform
11/07/2019 Oxford City Council has become the first authority to back a fair tax campaign. |
Kier to cut 1,200 jobs and ditch housing division
17/06/2019 Kier Group is to cut around 1,200 jobs and make savings of £55m over the next two years, amid a planned sell-off of many of its commercial interests. |
Amazon awarded £460m in public sector contracts since 2015
14/06/2019 A contract awarded to Amazon by a local government purchasing organisation is the biggest in the UK public sector, according to new research. |
Councils urged to record data on procurement of single-use plastic bottles
07/06/2019 A third of councils are failing to record how many single-use plastic bottles they have procured over the last five years, according to new research. |
Councils exposed following Kier profit warning
06/06/2019 Local authorities are heavily exposed to struggling construction giant Kier which faced a huge fall in its share price this week, according to the latest figures. |
Reframing the apprenticeship levy deadline for spending
05/06/2019 Lizzy Grayson discusses how the apprenticeship levy has changed post-deadline for spending . |
Unchaining social value
31/05/2019 A new report reveals some councils are building social value into their procurement – but that senior council decision makers must take more interest in securing broader benefits when commissioning services. |
Top panel formed to study local impact of Social Value Act
23/05/2019 Localis has launched a research project asking if the Government is providing social, economic and environmental benefits through public procurement. |
Coming to terms with late payments
02/05/2019 Neil Washington explains how the public sector can strengthen SMEs by ensuring their contractors operate fair payment terms. |
A £3m fund launched to improve infrastructure procurement
18/04/2019 A £3m fund has been made available for pilot projects that explore new approaches to procurement in housing and council-led infrastructure construction. |
UniCORN Framework
26/02/2019 Why BT UniCORN Framework – Join the partnership to cut costs and create opportunities. |
Double the number of providers handing back care contracts to councils
12/02/2019 The number of social care providers handing back contracts to councils has more than doubled in 2018, new research has revealed. |
Local government outsourcing fell by more than £80m in 2018
06/02/2019 The total value of outsourcing contracts agreed by councils in 2018 fell by more than £80m in 2018, according to the Arvato UK Outsourcing Index. |
London ICT Framework
04/02/2019 There are hundreds of frameworks to choose from, helping your organisation to procure anything from office supplies to cloud services. But if you’re based in the capital, you might want to consider the BT London ICT Framework. |
Union warns outsourcing 'rockets' after Carillion collapse
15/01/2019 Councils are still awarding outsourcing contracts to companies that have recently issued profit warnings, new research has revealed. |
Local government buying: the smart way forward
14/01/2019 Mark Whitehead looks at how 'best value' is overtaking 'best price' when it comes to local government procurement. |
The top ten things for local government to be aware of in 2019
11/01/2019 2019 looks set to be a year of interesting challenges and opportunities for local government. Tiffany Cloynes and Clare Hardy offer their predictions for the year ahead. |
Exclusive: Councils increase number of deals with SMEs and social enterprises
08/01/2019 Councils are increasingly forging deals with smaller companies rather than big outsourcing contractors, according to the latest figures. |
Social value revolution
19/12/2018 Andy Preston explores how local government procurement has changed this year and how councils can meet updated procurement policy. |
Allied Healthcare to sell off all council contracts within three weeks
23/11/2018 Local authorities have three weeks to find alternative providers for thousands of elderly and vulnerable people after a major care services company pulled out of the market. |
Care provider winds up its local authority contracts
22/11/2018 A major care services provider is winding up all its contracts with local authorities after regulators warned it was about to go bust. |
Technology deal to transform care services, say analysts
08/11/2018 A huge procurement deal to promote the latest technology is being hailed as a way to transform the delivery of social services and bring their spiralling costs under control. |
Fair payment champions
26/10/2018 Victoria Brambini explains how local authorities can empower their supply chains through fair payment. |
Virgin Care awarded contract to deliver Lancashire health services
18/10/2018 Virgin Care has been identified as the preferred bidder for the delivery of 0-19 public health services in Lancashire after a legal challenge forced a reevaluation of the bid. |
Procurement problems
16/10/2018 The latest Highways/FiTZ INDEX survey has revealed deep concerns within the highways sector about the nature of procurement. Dominic Browne reports on the findings. |
Councils have 'dangerous dependence' on a handful of suppliers
21/09/2018 Councils are concentrating more than half their total spend with their top five suppliers, new research has revealed. |
Council agrees to re-evaluate health service procurement process
15/08/2018 Lancashire County Council has agreed to re-evaluate its tendering process for public health services after a court ordered the council to set aside its agreement with Virgin Care. |
Councils urged to protect SMEs in their supply chains
26/07/2018 Local authorities have been urged to protect supply chain retention monies belonging to small and medium enterprises in their supply chains. |
DPS – A flexible way to procure
10/07/2018 Paul Smith urges councils to consider Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPSs) as a pioneering approach to procurement and outlines the five top reasons for considering the use of a DPS. |
Innovation: time to match words with action
10/07/2018 Stephen Smith calls on local authorities to challenge businesses to innovate, rather than buying products based purely on cost and availability. |
Managing utilities in-house
29/06/2018 Tiffany Cloynes looks at some of the key areas for local authorities to consider before becoming involved in the provision of utility services. |
Councils save over £800m by sharing services
28/06/2018 Councils have saved £840m through shared service arrangements, new research has revealed today. |
Government pledges to 'rebuild trust' in outsourcing after Carillion
26/06/2018 The Government has announced a package of measures aimed at rebuilding trust after the collapse of outsourcing construction company Carillion earlier this year. |
Blackpool first council to be awarded self-supply water licence
20/06/2018 Blackpool Council has been granted a self-supply licence to manage and monitor its own water usage across its 120 sites. |
Councils double number of fire safety tenders in wake of Grenfell
19/06/2018 The number of councils tendering for fire safety work has shot up in the year since the Grenfell disaster, according to the latest figures. |
Councils must do more to protect workers’ rights globally, union says
18/06/2018 A public sector union has criticised local authorities for ‘not doing enough’ to protect workers’ rights globally. |
Homes England to launch £150m procurement framework
21/05/2018 Homes England will launch the procurement of a new framework this month which will provide councils with access to a broader range of services to help the delivery of new homes. |
Councils should give ALEOs ‘careful consideration’ before use, watchdog warns
17/05/2018 The local authority spending watchdog in Scotland has acknowledged the benefits of arms-length external organisations (ALEOs) but warned they require ‘careful consideration’ before adoption. |
Leading the charge
25/04/2018 Paul Heath explains how Scotland could encourage collaborative IT purchasing in local government. |
Cheshire councillor investigating misconduct suspended
13/04/2018 The Cheshire East Council councillor investigating two senior officers over concerns about the way contracts were awarded has been asked to ‘step down’. |
The end of public-private partnerships?
11/04/2018 Rather than abandoning all public-private partnerships in the wake of Carillion's collapse, Richard Tinham urges councils to explore other partnership models. |
Council criticised for procurement ‘maladministration’
11/04/2018 A council in Northern Ireland has been criticised for ‘maladministration’ in its procurement of stewarding services. |
Brexit and public procurement - a lost opportunity
09/04/2018 Andrew Millross explains how just small changes to the EU's current procurement directives could make a huge difference to the way local authorities assess contractors before signing public contracts with them. |
Purchasing professional services
27/03/2018 Rob Levene explains how local authorities are reaping the benefits of an alternative approach to buying professional services. |
Councillors pledge to eradicate modern slavery from their supply chains
23/03/2018 Labour and Co-operative councillors have pledged to ensure none of the money they spend on procuring goods and services inadvertently ends up supporting exploitation or trafficking. |
Managing local authority contracts
23/03/2018 Tiffany Cloynes outlines the key issues councils should address to get the most out of their outsourced contracts. |
List reveals top 15 suppliers to local government in 2017
12/03/2018 A new ranking of local government suppliers has revealed over half of the top 15 regular suppliers were construction firms. |
Manchester CC ‘dramatically’ increases spend in local economy
07/03/2018 Manchester City Council has increased the amount it spends in the city’s economy by around 20% in the last 10 years, new figures reveal. |
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Procurement considerations following on from Carillion's liquidation
30/01/2018 Why are many local authorities being left with ineffective checks on the financial position of contractors? Richard Brooks explains. |
Blackpool set to become first council to manage its own water supply
30/01/2018 Blackpool Council has applied to Ofwat for a water and sewerage licence, making it the first local authority to move towards managing its own water supply. |
The key to sustainable contracting
30/01/2018 Angelica Hymers outlines her top tips on how public bodies can avoid granting contracts to potentially unstable contractors. |
SEND/HNL provision in FE colleges: are we paying too much?
29/01/2018 Ray Hart asks whether local authorities are paying too much for SEND and HNL provision in Further Education, and shares his advice on how to tackle overcharging. |
Carillion collapse: What next for public services?
16/01/2018 Jos Creese argues it may be time to reassess the boundaries and expectations for public/private partnerships in the wake of the demise of Carillion. |
Some councils paying ‘excessive’ costs for paper, research reveals
03/01/2018 Some councils are paying up to seven times more for paper than other authorities, an investigation by the MP for South Thanet has revealed. |
Councils could face up to £1bn in late payment penalties, report warns
07/12/2017 Councils could face up to £1bn in late payment penalties, according to new report into local government payment practices. |
Councils should not take on 'large procurement projects'
06/11/2017 Former convenor of Edinburgh council’s transport committee has said councils should not take on large public procurement projects like the city’s tram network. |
Procurement framework launches with £1bn pipeline of public sector projects
31/10/2017 The Scape National Construction framework has nearly £1bn of public sector projects in the pipeline since its launch six months ago. |
Public procurement in Wales needs ‘improvement’, auditors say
17/10/2017 There is ‘clear scope for improvement’ in procurement arrangements at the local level in Wales, auditors find. |
Procurement is key to creating local wealth argues report
12/10/2017 Public procurement focused on local spending is key to creating wealth in communities after Brexit, according to a new report. |
'Unscrupulous suppliers' overcharging councils on IT products
10/10/2017 Councils are being charged an excessive markup on IT products as suppliers use the confusion caused by Brexit to increase their prices, a new study has revealed. |
Councils warned not to contract out safety of new buildings
03/10/2017 Local authorities have been warned they must not ‘contract out’ the safety of new public buildings in a new report from MSPs. |
County increases local spend by £22m in past year
19/09/2017 Nottinghamshire County Council spent an extra £22m with local businesses last year, in a bid to boost the local economy and protect local jobs. |
Procurement system 'stacked' against small firms, report warns
23/08/2017 A ‘stacked’ procurement system is preventing smaller firms from securing contracts with local authorities, pressure group says. |
New estate framework set to save public sector £35m
23/08/2017 Councils are set to save millions on estate management due to the launch of a new procurement framework. |
Figures show decline in prompt payment by public sector
22/08/2017 The number of public sector bodies failing to pay engineering services firms within 30 days has increased in the second quarter of this year, new research has shown. |
Council chiefs call for ‘light touch’ procurement rules post-Brexit
17/08/2017 Council chiefs have called on the Government to ‘simplify’ the current rules on how councils buy goods and services once the UK has exited the European Union. |
Council ends contract with 'litter police' company
03/08/2017 A council has ended its environmental services contract with Kingdom Security, the company which was found to have offered bonuses to its officers for issuing fines. |
Public procurement reform could boost local economies by £14bn, says report
06/07/2017 Up to £14bn could be invested in local economies if the Government reformed public procurement rules, new research has argued today. |
Late council payments to SMEs worth millions ‘major issue’, report warns
30/06/2017 A new study has revealed that over 40% of top tier local government sourcing comes from SMEs, but late payment by councils is ‘frequently a major issue’. |
Councils to save more than £6m a year through new auditing contracts
21/06/2017 Councils are set to save millions after the launch of a new national body which has secured lower-cost contracts for auditing services. |
Liverpool chief executive to 'step aside' after arrest
24/05/2017 Liverpool CC chief executive Ged Fitzgerald will 'voluntarily step aside' after he was arrested as part of investigation into alleged financial irregularities. |
Liverpool council chief arrested over alleged financial irregularities probe
23/05/2017 Four men including Liverpool City Council chief executive Ged Fitzgerald have been arrested as part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities in the tendering of council contracts to BT. |
Councils making ‘glacial’ progress in improving payment times
24/04/2017 The amount of time it takes councils to pay suppliers has only fallen by one day since 2009, according to new research. |
Scottish councils only spending a fifth of procurement budget on local SMEs
21/04/2017 Campaigners have called on Scottish councils to spend more on local businesses as study reveals less than a fifth of their procurement budget goes on SMEs. |
Are councils paying promptly?
10/04/2017 Paul Reeve explains why a recent FOI request reveals councils are still not acting on supply chain payment. |
Tackling modern slavery with supply chain transparency
22/03/2017 A new public database is committed to ending modern slavery by making supply chains more transparent. William Eichler finds out more. |
New highways ironwork standard takes effect
20/03/2017 Barry Turner warns that many councils are still unaware of the new change in the standard for manhole covers and gully grates. |
Majority of councils join national auditing scheme
14/03/2017 Nearly all (98%) of local authorities have decided to join the new national scheme, which will negotiate auditors’ contracts on their behalf. |
Manchester Council playing ‘pioneering role’ in progressive procurement
28/02/2017 Manchester City Council is playing a ‘pioneering role’ in reinvesting spend back into the local economy with its progressive procurement policies, report says. |
Dorset implements cloud-based platform for environmental health services
20/02/2017 Dorset councils have carried out a shared procurement exercise for an environmental health system that they argue will improve customer service. |
Councils banned from 'unnecessary' boycotts
13/02/2017 Councils will no longer be able to boycott countries or companies unless restrictions have already been put in place by the Government under new rules published today. |
Value of council contracts falls in wake of Brexit
30/01/2017 The value of contract awards in local government fell following the Brexit vote – despite an overall increase of 5% across the public sector as a whole, new figures have revealed. |
Over 200 authorities join national auditing scheme
17/01/2017 More than 200 authorities have opted to join a national scheme, which will negotiate auditors’ contracts on their behalf. |
Taking charge of vendor relationships
17/01/2017 Peter Dunn explains why the time is right for councils to review their long-standing relationships with IT vendors. |
Devolution: what’s in store for local authorities in 2017?
16/01/2017 Will 2017 bring the same radical changes to local government we saw last year? Andrew Jepp investigates. |
Corbyn reveals plans to stop council contracts going to tax havens
11/01/2017 Councils should only be allowed to award contracts worth more than £250,000 to UK-registered companies, under plans announced by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. |
Six out of 10 councils failing to pay suppliers on time
12/12/2016 The Government should impose penalties on councils that fail to pay their suppliers on time, according to the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA). |
'Phased return' of powers to Tower Hamlets
05/12/2016 Tower Hamlets LBC is to gain back control of certain powers as part of a 'phased return' by Sajid Javid. |
Getting to grips with social value
05/12/2016 Just why are councils still struggling to embed the Social Value Act into projects? Laura Sharman speaks to Lindsay Smith from Morgan Sindall to look at some of the opportunities and challenges presented by the Act. |
Cardiff Christmas tree plans come up short
28/11/2016 Plans for a Christmas in Cardiff have come up short when the council ordered a tree in the wrong size due to a misunderstanding over measurements. |
This issue of Public Property examines how public sector organisations can unlock the hidden value in their land, and why a new approach to construction could help boost the outcomes of the Government’s One Public Estate programme.
The December issue also considers why learnings from ancient cities could provide the key to promoting wellbeing in the modern built environment. It also contains a case study on how the London Borough of Westminster has provided high quality care for the elderly alongside a block of luxury apartments.
