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Best value reviewed


The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions has begun a three-month review of best practice in local government. The aim is to reduce bureaucracy and ensure that “best value is neutral as to whether services are best provided by the public, private or voluntary sectors”, according to Stephen Byers, secretary of state.
Secure e-publishing


Glovia International, the business-to-business e-commerce subsidiary of Fujitsu, has teamed up with software company FormScape, to offer ePublish. The new package enables firms to publish securely shared data such as purchase orders. www.glovia.com
Streamlining stores
Q: I am stores and purchasing manager for a major UK city council’s building works department and have been tasked with streamlining our stores service. We operate three stores across the city, yet each area is served well by various merchants - I am sur
Sapient Corporation


B2B tops e-commerce


Business-to-business transactions accounted for more than four-fifths of the £57 billion spent last year on e-commerce, according to the first official UK survey. National Statistics surveyed more than 9,000 private-sector firms and found that e-commerce accounted for just 2 per cent of total sales. It had the strongest presence in insurance, air travel, computing and office machinery.
National Statistics


Virtual Supplychain


Agency to re-tender


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.
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