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Price competition for the supply of next-generation digital telecommunication services to businesses is set to intensify - a result of deregulation due in August. So-called local-loop unbundling - giving any telecommunications firm the use of BT’s exchange-to-customer infrastructure - allows companies to supply their own services on BT’s digital network.

Total travel management_2

Airlines may offer attractive discounts but business travel agents provide a wider service, says David Giles

Successful partnerships_2

Q: I work in a company that purports to have “partnerships” with suppliers, and yet I frequently see examples of aggressive, non-partnership-like behaviour. How am I supposed to react to this?

Ask the right questions_2

There is a glut of research firms out there that want your business, but not all of their work will be relevant, accurate and credible, warns Marc Day

Research pays the price_2

Scientific research is missing out on an additional £9.5 million because universities are not taking advantage of cutting-edge procurement techniques.

The National Audit Office (NAO) examined 68 grants totalling £38 million allocated by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to universities for research equipment.

Co-op raises green ante_2

The Co-operative Bank is leaning towards more renewable energy contracts as it seeks an electricity deal for its 500-employee Stockport call centre.

The bank recently negotiated a hydro contract for its Manchester headquarters, which means that 40 per cent of the company’s electricity consumption is from renewable sources.

Budgens joins web feast_2

Food retailer Budgens aims to roll out Budgens Direct, its website shopping service, by the end of August.

Church has faith in web_2

The Church Purchasing Scheme is stepping up the marketing of its website, despite the fact that it has had only 500 hits in five months.

“There is no question of pulling the plug,” said CPS’s Paul Playford, who helped to develop the site. The scheme is pushing ahead with a mailshot to its database of 20,000 ministers.

PFI guidelines launched_2

The government has launched a set of contract guidelines for private finance initiatives (PFI) projects, which it hopes will cut tendering costs and increase the number of deals under the scheme.

UK closes the gap on IT_2

The UK has almost caught up with the US in the business use of information technology, according to a report by the Department of Trade and Industry. In the past two years, the number of businesses with web sites has doubled, while buying and selling online has trebled. UK companies also come out above average in their use of information technology when compared with other G7 nations.