McDonalds have stated that they are offering total transparency to their supply chain and procurement. A recent article indicates that, following a survey, 65% of procurement professionals would do exactly the same. This is really interesting, particularly when thinking about public sector procurement. There is often the thought that buying organisations will use who they want, despite the tender process being used. If their procurement is more open, this should help alleviate this suspicion. It should also help Joe Public have faith in how their taxes are being used. It will be interesting to see if this concept is actually adopted in the purchasing world!

For the full article, click here.

Interesting article on an NHS Trust’s approach to procurement to be more “green”.  This article discusses how the South Essex NHS Trust has analysed its procurement processes and have since implemented a new process, saving money whilst also being more “green”. By purchasing collectively within the Trust, the number of deliveries reduced (so vehicle emissions are reduced) and more competitive costs are achieved. This approach is something that could well be mirrored throughout a substantial amount of purchasing bodies. – whilst also being something to think about from a supplier’s point of view. I.e. what you can do to support an authority with their cost reduction and sustainability objectives! Food for thought!

For the full article, click here

One challenge of SMEs is securing financial support and investment from banks. We’ve just been reading an article online about how the government compound this issue. Banks will lend money, in theory, to SMEs who can show strong financial stability. One factor that can cause instability is late payments. The article suggested that, again in theory, public secotr organisations should be paying their suppliers within the agreed payment terms. It seems, accordign to the article, that this is not the case.

So – as the article says “If the government wants to improve lending to SMEs, it should start paying them on time.”

For the full article, click here

Our security client has recently been informed that their ITT was successful for the provision of security solutions to a local council in Oxfordshire. We developed the ITT for the client and they have now been invited to meet with and present to members of the council. We wish them the very best of luck!

Positive news for one of our charity clients who have been shortlisted to receive grant funding through Children in Need. The client provides sport and recreational activities to young people, usually with challenging behaviour. As a charity organisation, they rely on donations and grant funding. We worked closely with the client at the beginning of 2013 to produce a solid application and they have just been informed that they have been shortlisted.

If you’re looking for support, advice or guidance with your funding applications, do get in touch.

Brilliant news for our childcare provider client who has just informed us of a successful tender with a huge international retail chain. We started working with the client a few weeks ago and provided support with developing a strong response to the tender. The tender had defined word limits, but we worked well with the client and the result speaks for itself. We wish our client the very best with the new contract!

Another simple tip for your PQQs/ITTs etc is to think about evidence. If you are making a statement about your business, can you support it with evidence. This really links back to our earlier tip about providing full detailed answers, but to add even more weight to your answer, consider how you can support your statement. Examples may include factual figures, statistics or brief case studies, or even a testimonial. Easy stuff! You will have the information, so use it.

In a previous tip, we suggested that you provide as much information as possible. What you will need to consider is how your response will look to the reader. Again – a simple tip here. Add some structure to your response by using headings and sub-headings to break up your text. This will make your response more readable, as well as making it easier for you to answer. So, for example, if a question asks about how you manage sub-contractors, have a heading covering sub-contractors, followed by another heading to cover how they are managed. This really is a simple method that will help you tremendously.

Last week we provided 2 simple tips to help when completing a PQQ or ITT etc. The third tip we can offer is that you answer each question as fully as you can. Even if you already work, or have worked, with the buying organisation – make no assumptions. Give as much information as possible – backed up with any relevant facts and figures.

Fantastic news for our asbestos client who have successfully navigated the tender process with a huge leading engineering company. We supported the client in the development of their tender, so it is brilliant to hear that they were successful.

We normally work with the client on public sector tenders, so it shows that they can be as equally successful to private sector work