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The construction industry should be more transparent, ethical and fair, according to CIPS’s construction clients’ policy. Complaints against the construction industry overtook those against the car industry for the first time last year, but CIPS said construction clients also had a duty to set clear objectives and help to improve the industry.

£9bn MoD tender opens_2

Four consortia have been invited to tender for the MoD’s largest potential private finance initiative deal. The contract for the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project is worth about £9 billion over 25 years. Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Eurotanker and SSM submitted proposals late last year and are now providing fully costed bids.

Britain rules e-waves_2

Britain is the best place in Europe to do e-business, according to a survey for delivery firm UPS.

Europay International_2

Colleges get platform_2

The UK’s 440 further education colleges are set to have an e-procurement platform in June. FE Online will be launched by e-Government Solutions, which estimates that £1 billion of colleges’ £1.5 billion non-pay purchasing spend is “e-procurable”. Savings of up to 30 per cent are envisaged.

Corporate jet service_2

Virgin is looking to launch a corporate jet service for business passengers. Scheduled for next year, the service could offer passengers similar treatment to Virgin’s Upper Class cabin with transatlantic fares in the region of £3,000-£4,000.

Welsh back best value_2

Welsh local authorities are positive about the changes brought by enacting “best value” as a method of procurement, according to an Audit Commission report and a survey by opinion pollsters Mori. However, the councils admitted that collecting, collating and presenting performance information had been difficult.

Consultancies growing_2

The UK management consultancy market grew by more than 20 per cent last year, accounting for a quarter of the European market, according to the European Federation of Management Consulting Associations. Across Europe, IT consulting remains the biggest earner with 40 per cent of income, while corporate strategy services reported the highest growth with an increase of 20 per cent.

CPS may press charges_2

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) may charge Railtrack and contractor Balfour Beatty with corporate manslaughter over the Hatfield rail crash.

Jail for price fixers_2

Company directors and employees operating cartels could face up to five years in prison, under new government competition proposals. The white paper from Patricia Hewitt, the trade and industry secretary, states that criminal sanctions would be applied where companies and employees engage in price-fixing, market-sharing and bid-rigging cartels.