The Procurement Office’s Post

This article is quite interesting when it comes to averaging evaluator scores vs. conducting consensus meetings. There's definitely pros and cons to each of these scenarios.

It is slightly ironic that FTAs increasingly contain detailed Transparency Chapters and provisions encouraging greater public access to government regulations, but at the same time trying to find records and decisions from those agreements can be anything but straightforward. In this post, I've taken a look at how the CPTPP approaches publication and disclosure of the records of its Committees and other organs. After five-plus years of implementation... there is definitely room for improvement! Without a centralised, authoritative source compiling these documents it is virtually impossible to search across them all, and very difficult to accurately keep track of everything the CPTPP Parties are doing and agreeing. I suggest that a small investment in a proper online document management system could go a long way to increase the transparency of the agreement (and indeed most FTAs). This would not only help demystify these agreements, but also serve as important records for future policymakers to draw from. (As always - get in touch if you need someone who has done the digging so knows where all the CPTPP documents can be found! And remember to subscribe to my Substack if you want these posts delivered straight to your email inbox for free)

The most interesting aspect of this post( https://lnkd.in/gbiY5c9x) is the omission of a key single skill required to build in the public service i.e the necessity of having people knowledgeable and capable of judging the technical aspects of well as “management” aspects required to both draft contracts and to fully judge the content of their delivery. It’s a simple point, but with the demonstrated incapacity of multiple departments to be able to answer even simple questions in their areas of responsibility(want examples? No problem-just ask)it has become central not only to good administration but also-and demonstrably-to rebuild public trust from the current parlous level

As the case in this article illustrates, public officials, including elected officials, should avoid disclosing confidential information relating to a public procurement process. https://lnkd.in/g-m-THAV This and other topics are covered in our Governance and Project Execution certificate program running again June 2025. https://lnkd.in/gJ4C42JV

If you were at our CMS Scotland Annual Business Conference yesterday (and if you weren't!) this makes for really interesting reading. #CMSLaw CMS Scotland #DrivingScotlandsGrowth

Spot on Mark McMurray CMS CMS UK CMS Scotland! An effective planning system is critical to driving economic growth in both Scotland and the UK by ensuring that infrastructure, regional development, sustainability, housing, and innovation are strategically aligned with economic goals. It creates the conditions for long-term prosperity, enhances productivity, and reduces regional inequalities. Planning policies that encourage innovation, green growth, and connectivity will shape the future of economic development across both Scotland and the UK. To enhance the planning system's ability to drive economic growth in Scotland and the UK, several key issues need to be addressed. These include ensuring adequate resources, improving efficiency and transparency, fostering innovation, and balancing sustainability with development. Below are some main areas that require attention: ✅ Additional Resources for Planning Authorities ✅ Streamlining Planning Processes ✅ Modernisation and Digitalisation of the Planning System ✅ Collaboration Between Stakeholders ✅ Flexibility to Respond to Economic and Environmental Changes ✅ Supporting Sustainable and Inclusive Growth ✅ Addressing Regional Disparities ✅ Infrastructure Investment and Coordination ✅ Enhancing Public Engagement ✅ Alignment with Industrial Strategies #plantheworldweneed #netzerotransition Fraser of Allander Institute Mairi Spowage Robin Hutchison Kathryn Nolin Lindsey Richards FRTPI Helen Fadipe MBE, FRTPI Dr Victoria Hills MRTPI FICE FRSA MCMI CMgr Caroline Brown Mark Hand MRTPI Homes for Scotland Planning Aid Scotland CBI Scotland Margaret Simpson Liam Middleton BlueFloat Energy Susie Lind Forth Green Freeport Susan Rice Jamie G. Jane Wood Kevin Murphy Fionna Kell Johanna Boyd Third Revolution Projects Robert Shaw Gill Eaton Simon Wicks

Tenders and Grants, experts in the field, Guide firms through mazes, where complexities yield. From public sector contracts to substantial grants, We navigate pathways, leave nothing to chance. In the UK's vast public sector scene, We find opportunities, often unseen. Crafting proposals that stand out in piles, Ensuring compliance with all rules and styles. In all that we do, wisdom we share, Equipping clients with tools to prepare. Strategic advice to boost every bid, Optimizing chances, no opportunity hid. Support through each stage, we expertly give, From initial drafts to the way you live. Tenders and Grants, a beacon so bright, Illuminating paths, making futures bright.

Tenders and Grants, experts in the field, Guide firms through mazes, where complexities yield. From public sector contracts to substantial grants, We navigate pathways, leave nothing to chance. In the UK's vast public sector scene, We find opportunities, often unseen. Crafting proposals that stand out in piles, Ensuring compliance with all rules and styles. In all that we do, wisdom we share, Equipping clients with tools to prepare. Strategic advice to boost every bid, Optimizing chances, no opportunity hid. Support through each stage, we expertly give, From initial drafts to the way you live. Tenders and Grants, a beacon so bright, Illuminating paths, making futures bright.

EU Court 17 JULY 2024,  Case T‑338/23, Public Contract. Irregularity. ...accepting the applicant’s argument that the transmission of a hyperlink enabling the electronic samples to be downloaded instead of sending them by email should not have resulted in ‘its tender being disqualified’, would, in the present case, result in a breach of the principle of equal treatment vis-à-vis the other tenderers who submitted a tender in the procurement procedure at issue. That approach would mean that the applicant, which did not meet the requirements imposed by Corrigendum No 2, would be treated in the same way as the other tenderers which complied with the administrative specifications, as amended by Corrigendum No 2, by sending those samples by email (see, to that effect and by analogy, judgment of 30 April 2014, Euris Consult v Parliament, T‑637/11, EU:T:2014:237, paragraph 109).    In the light of all the foregoing, in deciding not to follow the requirements imposed by Corrigendum No 2 and to send only a hyperlink enabling the electronic samples to be downloaded, the applicant did not comply with a clear, precise and unconditional requirement of the call for tenders imposed on all tenderers who had decided to submit a tender in the tendering procedure in the present case (see, to that effect and by analogy, judgment of 30 April 2014, Euris Consult v Parliament, T‑637/11, EU:T:2014:237, paragraph 77).   It follows that, in so far as sub-criterion No 4, set out in Article 3.4.2 of the administrative specifications, provided that the tenders submitted by the tenderers were to be evaluated on the basis of the electronic samples and that they were not submitted in accordance with the requirements of those provisions, EFCA rightly found that the applicant had failed to supply the information required as a condition for participating in the call for tenders within the meaning of point (b) of the first subparagraph of Article 141(1) of Regulation 2018/1046. According to point 12.2(c) of Annex I to that regulation, that requirement constitutes a ground for irregularity of the applicant’s tender.   Accordingly, the applicant cannot rely on an infringement of Article 3.4.2 of the administrative specifications by EFCA.

Tenders and Grants, experts in the field, Guide firms through mazes, where complexities yield. From public sector contracts to substantial grants, We navigate pathways, leave nothing to chance. In the UK's vast public sector scene, We find opportunities, often unseen. Crafting proposals that stand out in piles, Ensuring compliance with all rules and styles. In all that we do, wisdom we share, Equipping clients with tools to prepare. Strategic advice to boost every bid, Optimizing chances, no opportunity hid. Support through each stage, we expertly give, From initial drafts to the way you live. Tenders and Grants, a beacon so bright, Illuminating paths, making futures bright.