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Transforming Public Procurement - Updated commercial pipeline – Procurement Act 2023
Crown Commercial Service (CCS) category teams responsible for commercial agreements are currently engaging customers and suppliers to develop their commercial and procurement strategies. As part of this activity, consideration will be given to developing associated digital platforms and/or contractual documentation to ensure full compliance with the new procurement regime.
As our category teams complete this exercise, there is always the potential for the procurement timescales and the position of the commercial agreement on the list to change.
Awarding commercial agreements under the new regime will be new for everyone, and CCS are adopting new ways of working to ensure all key stakeholders have had the chance to discuss and consider all key dependencies, issues and challenges as well as identifying any opportunities the new regime will bring.
Free Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) support and new data technology tool to help uncover bid-rigging in public sector procurement
Despite the action the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has taken against cartel activity over the years, they continue to uncover evidence of illegal bid-rigging, often affecting public sector bodies. In their most recent case, that affected public sector bodies, construction firms were fined nearly £60 million for breaking competition law.
The CMA are working on a new data tool to help public sector procurers spot suspicious bidding patterns and are developing a Bid-Viewer tool to help identify potential collusion between bidders by using advanced analytical screening methods to identify anomalous patters in bidder activity.
The CMA is keen to work with you to develop the tool further by using it on your tender data.
Free advice and support
In addition to the new Bid-Viewer tool the CMA has investigators available to speak with public sector procurement teams, to run through bid-rigging risks and provide advice. The CMA has free e-learning and guidance designed specifically for public procurers to help you recognise suspicious bidding patterns and know how best to report concerns. Members of the CMA’s cartels enforcement team are available to meet with commercial teams, via virtual or in-person presentations, to talk through what bid rigging behaviours look like, identify possible red flags to look out for and how to report suspicious activity to the CMA.
To book a CMA presentation for your procurement team or for more information on our Bid-Viewer tool contact: CMA_ProcurementSupport@cma.gov.uk.
Improving Social Value in Technology Procurement
techUK's Public Services Board (PSB) has launched a new report - Improving Social Value in Technology Procurement which articulates industry's concerns about how the policy for social value is operating within central government technology procurement.
Social Value Survey Report 2024
Association of Bid Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) have published their second survey – showing how a good sample of the bidding community feels about buyers’ and suppliers’ social value maturity, overall and at different stages of the procurement lifecycle. You can also see if and how things have changed since our first survey 18 months ago.
You can use the report to see how your experiences stack up, and to give you useful topics to discuss with your employers, colleagues and clients.
i-Network Innovation Awards
Congratulations to all those nominated and the finalists in this years i-Network Connected procurement and Commissioning category which was eventually won by Manchester City Council for their work on Procuring and Commissioning for Carbon Reduction. Honourable mentions to STAR Procurement, Wigan and Bradford - some amazing projects and worthy finalists.
Care home worker visas not getting renewed
One of the UK’s biggest home care providers says it is paying dozens of migrant workers who cannot work as the Home Office has not renewed key immigration permits. Grosvenor Healthcare, the UK’s third largest domiciliary care provider which serves almost 100 councils across the UK, says the issue is preventing around 3,000 care visits a week. Thousands of workers came to the UK to help fill vacancies, but the Government appears to have tightened the application of the rules.
26 March 2024, 10.30am - 2.30pm | 18 Smith Square, Westminster, London & Online
16 April 2024 | Virtual
24 April 2024 | Virtual
16 May 2024 | Liverpool Exhibition Centre
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