REUTERS | Thomas Peter
28/04/2015

Local government quarterly digest (February – April 2015)

This is the latest in our series of quarterly local government update blogs, which will enable readers to catch up on the most important cases, issues or developments in local government from February 2015 to April 2015.

Please feel free to submit a comment below or send us an Ask query if you have any views on the cases, issues, or legal developments covered or if you think we have missed something that should be brought to the attention of local government practitioners.

In this post we look at:

  • Cases of interest to local authorities.
  • Various legislative and other developments of interest to local authority lawyers.

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REUTERS | Jim Young
22/04/2015

Innovation partnership – does it offer a genuine breakthrough?

  • by John Bennett
  • Co-author of the looseleaf encyclopedia, EU Public Procurement Law and Practice

Regulation 31 of the new procurement regulations (SI 2015/102) (PCR 2015) introduces a completely new procurement procedure called “innovation partnership” where there is a need for “an innovative product, service or works that cannot be met by (those) … already available on the market” (regulation 31(2)). Generally new procedures are to be welcomed because they offering something different and better than the previous procedures. Is this the case here?

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REUTERS | Thomas Peter
10/04/2015

First conviction of a councillor under the Localism Act 2011

Fundamental changes to the regulation of standards of conduct for elected and co-opted local government members were introduced in 2012 by the Localism Act 2011.These included a requirement for local government members to register pecuniary and other interests and the creation of a new criminal offence of failing to register relevant interests. Clearly, in relation to a criminal prosecution, the Crown Prosecution Service must be satisfied that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that it is in the public interest to prosecute. Continue reading →

REUTERS | Juan Carlos Ulate
07/04/2015

Education law quarterly digest (November 2014 – March 2015)

This is the latest in our series of quarterly education update blogs which will enable readers to catch up on the most important cases, issues or developments in education law from November 2014 to March 2015. Please feel free to submit a comment below or send us an Ask query if you have any views on the cases, issues, or legal development that are covered or if you think we have missed something that should be brought to the attention of education law practitioners.

In this post, we look at:

  • Recent decisions.
  • Legislative developments in both England and Wales.
  • Government guidance.

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REUTERS | Zohra Bensemra
01/04/2015

Public procurement case digest (March 2015)

March’s case digest includes an ECJ preliminary ruling on the effect of bias on the award of a public contract and the right to bring a challenge out of time, and a General Court decision annulling certain tender decisions taken by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Please feel free to submit a comment below or send us an Ask query if you have any views on the cases covered, or think that we have missed a case that should be brought to the attention of public procurement practitioners. Continue reading →

REUTERS | Eric Thayer
01/04/2015

PCR 2015: When to use a PQQ?

Lengthy and onerous pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs) have long been an aggravation to suppliers to the public sector. The impact is particularly felt among SMEs where disproportionate PQQs are just one obstacle to winning government contracts. With this in mind, the government has taken various steps to restrict the use of PQQs.

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