Sharpening the commercial edge
The case for well-managed council commercial activity is one that needs to be defended if we want a mature and sustainable local state, argues Jonathan Werran.
Councils charged triple the recommended mark-up on IT products
19/05/2021 Councils are paying more than three times the recommended mark-up on technology products, a new study has revealed. |
Supporting local authorities to level up economies
19/05/2021 How can the construction industry support the public sector to achieve the government’s ambition of levelling up? Paul Kelly reports. |
Birmingham CC spends nearly £200m in local economy
26/04/2021 Birmingham City Council has spent £194,619,328 in its surrounding areas as part of an effort to improve the social value of its commissioning and procurement. |
Social value going upstream
26/02/2021 Approaching a decade on since the Social Value Act 2012, there has never been a better time for social value to become more than something considered alongside procurement, argues Tim Pope. |
Why green will be the next tick box for procurement
23/02/2021 Richard Lilwall explains how AI can be used to help councils develop their green fleet strategies. |
Care workers were left without PPE during first wave of COVID-19, watchdog warns
10/02/2021 Social care providers were left without adequate PPE at the start of the pandemic, the public spending watchdog has warned today. |
English councils spent £63bn on third parties last year
28/01/2021 Third party expenditure by local authorities in England has outstriped inflation for the last three years, new figures have revealed. |
Trade union calls for higher human rights standards in PPE
26/01/2021 A local government trade union has called for new laws to stop PPE being supplied by companies that exploit workers. |
Is the pandemic doing the job of G-Cloud?
01/10/2020 As the pandemic see real changes in public sector IT procurement practices it is now crucial that they remain in place, argues James Cherry. |
The pressure of procurement
30/09/2020 Local authorities may be missing out on the chance to extract maximum value for their new-build housing projects, according to Tim Young. |
Councils to ‘regularly report’ on efforts to fight modern slavery
22/09/2020 Local authorities and other public bodies which have a budget of £36m or more will be required to regularly report on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains. |
Community Wealth Building: Kick-starting economic recovery on the doorstep
24/08/2020 Sarah Stone explores how CWB can be used to build back better post-Covid and how councils can maximise social value in the procurement process. |
£13bn construction procurement frameworks launched
21/07/2020 Two public sector frameworks totalling £13bn have been launched aimed at providing direct support to local economies and the green recovery. |
Running on empty
17/07/2020 Mark Robinson discusses the widening gap in public sector funding and the implications for the sector’s built environment partners. |
PPN 04/20 – What’s changing and how can we plan for the future?
02/07/2020 Lucy Woods explains what contracting authorities should do to prepare for new PPN 04/20 guidance. |
Construction spend must deliver social value, argues report
30/06/2020 Construction spend must deliver more ‘tangible social impact’ to support disadvantaged communities post-Covid, according to a new report. |
Councils get new advice to combat procurement fraud
09/06/2020 New advice to help councils in England fight procurement fraud has been published by the Government. |
Pan-London partnership for PPE launched
19/05/2020 A new pan-London partnership has been established to provide personal protective equipment or care homes and other frontline services. |
IfG: Extend outsourcing reforms to councils
04/03/2020 Government reforms of outsourcing to avoid another Carillion collapse must be extended to local government where commercial skills lag behind Whitehall, a report from the Institute for Government (IfG) think-tank has said. |
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. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
