Tightening government procurement

The BBC carries an article that is both encouraging yet disappointing in equal measure.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25884915
The article identifies 2 points.

1. The government's CPO identifies appalling behaviour by IT suppliers.
2. The government limits IT contracts.

Never has the phrase "caveat emptor" been more appropriate. Questions and issues abound in equal measure.

The Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said in one case a government department was charged £30,000 for changing the text on a web page.

Crothers said a supplier tried to charge £65 for a laptop power cable worth around £20


Who approved the contracts that allowed for such charging? Why were the issues not raised? How many more of these contracts are in the public vaults.

If contract sizes are to be limited then this has the potential to a) drive contracts to be competed by stealth; b) disjointed contracts that fail to achieve the outcomes; c) increased bidders costs and therefore overall increased costs.

Is now the time that the government appoints specialists and hold them accountable for successful delivery of the project outcomes detailed and approved in the business case 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Contract Management - Video

Our first video; Contract Management.  If you have any comments please post, all welcome.  If you can't see the video on an Apple device the video will be available soon on You Tube.   The You Tube link is now at:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMRb8OaDNtk
Read more

How transparent are some sectors?

The Israeli missile Barak missile has now finally cleared the procurement process in India, 5 years since it started.  What was the reason fro the delay? Allegations of corruption (  http://www.firstpost.com/india/defence-ministry-clears-procurement-of-barak-missiles-1303271.html  ) In this particular case there was no case to answer. Indian defence procurement has had recent problems with allegations of corruption, the most notable of which has been the recent case of Finmeccanica resulting in the loss of a significant helicopter order $750m that could have led to a further order of $250m.  Not only was the first order cancelled but subsequent investigations into the original deal resulted in the successful prosecution of the Finmeccanica CEO. However, the Finmeccanica story is not the first, in fact it is someway down the list of previous defence procurement scandals within the Indian defence sector with cases stretching back over thirty years. What is really in the article W
Read more

PPP Management - Technical Authorship

Image
Another great edition of Building Regulations in Brief by PPP Management's Sam Alford, in conjunction with Raymond Tricker.  Another best seller in the range. Building Regulations in Brief - Amazon To accompany the in-brief version is a more compact and on site friendly pocket book. Building Regulations Pocket Book - Amazon Another two best sellers in the range. #BRIB #Buildingregulations
Read more