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The Highways Agency is to re-tender a £100 million road maintenance deal because the first bids were not good enough. The agency was due to award the contract, for routine repairs of around 550 kilometres of trunk roads in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire, this month.

SAP extends C1 link

German software giant SAP has expanded its alliance with global e-marketplace provider Commerce One with an additional investment of up to $225 million. The move gives SAP about a fifth of Commerce One’s outstanding common stock, including its existing shares. www.sap.com

Waterways shortlist

British Waterways has shortlisted private-sector partners for the development of its 2,000 miles of waterways, including a project allowing it to become a water supplier to major users and local authorities. The companies include Morley Fund Management/AMEC and Northumbrian Water.

Birmingham roll-out

The University of Birmingham is to roll out an e-procurement system across its 100 budget centres to streamline its £80 million purchasing spend and stock-control procedures. Pilot implementation of the Proactis solution from Get Real Systems begins this month in the university’s engineering and cancer studies budget centres and its finance office for an undefined period.

Central tender site

Public-sector tenders across 54 Commonwealth countries are soon to be posted on a central e-business website. The Dynamic Trade Centre was launched by the Commonwealth Business Council in conjunction with e-procurement company Elcom. It will offer the e-business platform on a subscription basis.

FE rejigs save cash

Further education (FE) institutions in Wales have saved £600,000 with improvements to procurement processes recommended by the National Audit Office in 1999. Five FE institutions now employ procurement officers, compared with just one two years ago. The new Welsh Further Education Purchasing Consortium contributed more than £47,000 of the total.

Gummer’s prediction

A former minister turned development consultant has claimed that purchasers suffer from undervaluation and are operating in a risk-free culture. John Gummer MP, chairman of the Sancroft Group, also told delegates to the Institute of Public Finance’s Procurement and Commissioning Forum that it will be increasingly risky for purchasers not to take an interest in sustainable processes.

Joint e-procurement

Kvaerner saves jobs

Anglo-Norwegian engineering and construction group Kvaerner has saved 1,500 jobs at its sub-sea equipment plant in Kirkhill. The company said it has negotiated an extended loan until the end of this year, as talks on long-term financing continue.

Smiths demand soars

Smiths Group said it has been “submerged” with requests for its security products after the terrorist attacks, despite its core customer Boeing slashing more than 30,000 jobs. It said demand for its products that detect chemical agents has risen in the US and the Middle East.