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UK businesses face extra water bills of £400 million a year from next April if the water companies get their way.

According to the Utility Buyers’ Forum (UBF), which represents major users in the commercial, industrial and public sectors, this is the difference between the water companies’ price proposals for 2000 to 2005 and those issued by water regulator Ian Byatt.
The security of the supply chain in times of national crisis could be jeopardised by the almost certain closure of Britain’s last propellant manufacturer, the House of Commons defence select committee has warned.

Bishopton, the British Aerospace-owned plant in Scotland, has been outbid by South African company Somchem on a contract for a multi-charge ammunition propellant system.
Changes to procurement at Tesco are hitting the bottom line, according to figures released last week. These show that the supermarket chain achieved supply chain savings of £60 million in 1998. The news came as Tesco released its annual results, which revealed an 8 per cent growth in pre-tax profits to £881 million for the year ending February 1999.
Welsh local authorities are planning to cut down Audit Commission value-for-money inspections in a radical shake-up.
Closer co-ordination with NHS buying practices has improved NHS Logistics’ supplier relationships and expanded its national supplies catalogue to 20,000 products.


A Handbook of Management Techniques Michael Armstrong Kogan Page, £40 The third edition of Michael Armstrong’s 700-page book contains completely new sections covering operations management and information technology, which have been rewritten and extended.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is to implement a global e-procurement system in an attempt to reduce the £70 million annual purchasing spend by its 220 embassies.
The time is right for procurement professionals to “move up a gear” and take a greater leadership role even though the world economy is in a dire state, Dr Richard Russill, director of consultancy Innovative Concepts, told the CIPS annual conference and s
JDA Software is optimistic that its acquisition of inventory optimisation systems group E3 will strengthen its presence in the distribution and manufacturing industries.
Massive public-sector construction projects have gone ahead under the controversial private finance initiative (PFI) despite a dangerous lack of vital management skills, according to a new study.

The as yet unpublished research by the Civil Service
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