Electronic sourcing - the next stage in the development of e-commerce - will be the most significant yet for purchasers, reckons Jon Simkin
Search Page
Energy regulator Ofgem is set to attempt to introduce market abuse conditions to energy generators’ licences just weeks after the Competition Commission forced it to back down over a similar ruling.
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.
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 is the best place in Europe to do e-business, according to a survey for delivery firm UPS.
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.
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 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.
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.