20/10/2010

PLA Question Time: experience at award stage

PLC Public Sector reports:

The latest event organised by the Procurement Lawyers’ Association took the form of a Question Time session (of the BBC, rather than the Prime Minister variety).  Totis Kotsonis of Norton Rose played the role of David Dimbleby with Professor Sue Arrowsmith, Director of the Public Procurement Research Group at Nottingham University, and Michael Bowsher QC being called upon to provide their views on the issues currently taxing the public procurement community.

Of most interest was the debate triggered by a question on the old favourite of using experience as an award criteria.

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13/10/2010

Implications of Hutton’s Interim Report

PLC Pensions reports:

The Independent Public Service Pensions Commission’s Interim Report (Hutton) was published on 7 October 2010. Hutton summarises the broad points which will form the basis of the full report, due in the New Year, and parts of which will be included in the government’s Spending Review.

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06/10/2010

The continuing troubles of the LSC and challenges to BSF

PLC Public Sector reports:

The Law Society recently scored a high profile victory when the High Court held that the tender process adopted by the Legal Services Commission (LSC) for its family contracts was “unfair, unlawful and irrational”.  The challenge brought by the Law Society had been wide ranging, with allegations of “legal aid deserts”  and breaches of equality legislation.  However, reports suggest that the judgment was based on a failure to comply with technical procurement requirements and not any ideological opposition to the proposed cut in the number of firms given legal aid contracts.   It is a decision that all contracting authorities should take note of, and not dismiss on the basis that it is confined to legal aid.

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29/09/2010

Cuts to free school transport: have pupils missed the boat (taxi or bus)?

An article in The Times this week (requires subscription) suggests that local authorities are spending more than £1 billion a year on taxis and other personalised forms of school transport. This revelation begs the question of whether this level of spending can continue following the proposed public sector cuts likely to be included in the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010.

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