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Tony Travers

Opinion

Tony Travers: The electorate has pushed the alarm button

Previous columns

Local Government Chronicle
Procurement

Stories with this category.

Procurement – another layer of savings

23 May 2013
DCLG moves in with Home Office

4-Apr-2013
Myths and realities when it comes to EU procurement rules

3-Apr-2013
Southwest One staff return to council

28-Mar-2013
Mixed recycling case dismissed by judge

6-Mar-2013
Effective commissioning to boost productivity

31-Jan-2013
LGA unveils Commissioning Academy

31 January 2013
A unique opportunity for exploration

29 November 2012
The power of strategic partnerships

22 November 2012
We can’t afford procurement errors

15 November 2012
Delivering local support, nationally

25 October 2012
Cornwall joint venture plans put on hold

23-Oct-2012
Maude calls for local government mutuals

18-Oct-2012
Why outsourcing won’t happen

18 October 2012
App gives smaller firms a better chance of bidding

4 October 2012
A new era of service delivery requires a firm grasp on community capability

2-Oct-2012
SSI (Shamelessly Stealing Ideas)

27 September 2012
Time to move on

27 September 2012
Inside Out - Voluntary sector a cheap private sector?

9 August 2012
Shared services not enough to bridge funding gap, LGA claims

9 August 2012
Moving public sector supply chain accountability beyond 'green' aspirations

3-Aug-2012
No record of procurement claim check

30-Jul-2012
Waste firm withdraws from framework

13-Jul-2012
Business information modelling: the right information at the right time

5 July 2012
The digital ambition is a tribute to local government’s breadth of vision

28 June 2012
Support services staff to be recruited centrally

15-Jun-2012
Merseytravel chair stands down

13-Jun-2012
Serco snaps up Vertex Public Sector

12-Jun-2012
Auditor blasts Wirral's contract policies

11-Jun-2012
PwC wins commissioning group contract

7-Jun-2012
Rethink road funding to target investment and stimulate growth

31 May 2012
Fraud officer took Kent to court

16-May-2012
Contracts with bailiffs putting councils in a precarious position

15-May-2012
Can the UK lead the charge on electric vehicles?

11-May-2012
Working with third parties to access funding in Flintshire

8-May-2012
'Weak' governance criticised at fraud-hit Kent

4-May-2012
Cross sector spin-outs can help councils buy for good

30-Apr-2012
Cabinet Office paper rejected

26 April 2012
DCLG statisticians 'signed off' on controversial research

23-Apr-2012
Bournemouth whistleblower absolved

10-Apr-2012
LGA names procurement 'big winners'

5-Apr-2012
Pickles warns over 'right to challenge' abuse

20-Mar-2012
Open commissioning, open question

15 March 2012
Staffordshire's move towards Public Service Networks

28-Feb-2012
A public procurement shocker

1-Feb-2012
Survey reveals mutual antipathy

19 January 2012
Mouchel deal given go ahead

9-Jan-2012
Bournemouth to decide Mouchel future

4-Jan-2012
Doubts over private-public partnerships

9-Dec-2011
LGA calls for procurement pilots

8-Dec-2011
Managing the procurement process

3 November 2011
Procurement law and social enterprise

3 November 2011
Whitehall claims £3.75bn savings made

1-Aug-2011
Councils' IT procurement backed by MPs

1-Aug-2011
Ex-Kent procurement officer's fraud trial could affect hundreds of bodies

14 July 2011
Barnet rejects Pickles' contract criticism

7-Jul-2011
DCLG fire fiasco 'wasted £469m'

1-Jul-2011
No decision on pay rises for outsourced staff

21-Jun-2011
Councils urged to save by pooling resources

17-Jun-2011
Barnet ignored own rules on procurement, internal report finds

16 June 2011
Camden sets 'living wage' benchmark for outsourcing

16 June 2011
Barnet panned over £1.4m contract fiasco

8-Jun-2011
Councils pledge to help Southern Cross

31-May-2011
Sceptical councils told to plan road maintenance

26-May-2011
Bill imposes key shift to public procurement contracts

20-May-2011
PFI procurement needs upskilling

5 May 2011
NAO warns on high costs of private finance

28-Apr-2011
Creating a new spirit of partnership

25-Apr-2011
Call for easing of contract rules

21 April 2011
Southern holds talks with landlords

14-Apr-2011
Run by the people, for the people...

14 April 2011
Temp worker deal set to save £10m

13-Apr-2011
Capita to buy part of Tribal

11-Apr-2011
Changes within the law are making a difference

7 April 2011
Confusion slowing joint venture take-up

7 April 2011
Funding is out there - make the most of it

7 April 2011
Procurement rules still have a place

7 April 2011
Q&A Guide: joint ventures

7 April 2011
Working together to improve procurement

7 April 2011
LGC Outsourcing supplement - March 2011

31 March 2011
Tribal exits recruitment market

29-Mar-2011
Mouchel rejects Interserve approach

29-Mar-2011
Savings push boosts PFI projects

25-Mar-2011
Care is needed to avoid unintended outcomes

24 March 2011
We must seize opportunity to reform Fair Deal

24 March 2011
Commissioning guidance released

16-Mar-2011
Pressure deepens at Southern Cross

14-Mar-2011
Insisting on cohesion

10 March 2011
Procurement - 10 March 2011

10 March 2011
Scotland's chiefs set out reform plan

8-Mar-2011
Edinburgh facing £500m grant pay-back clause

4-Mar-2011
A positive outcome after four years in court

17-Feb-2011
Harrow wins four-year legal fight over LAML

17 February 2011
Radically reducing local government's supply costs

17 February 2011
Making cooperatives happen

11-Feb-2011
LGA consolidates efficiency programme

10 February 2011
Tribal Resourcing sold for £1

9-Feb-2011
Harrow wins landmark case

9-Feb-2011
Edinburgh tram scheme 'risks not being finished'

3-Feb-2011
Councils' street advert contracts under scrutiny

3-Feb-2011
Council defends Madrid bin collection trip

24-Jan-2011
Somerset bill for Jones departure revealed

24-Jan-2011
'Closed door' claim over council's trading plans

13 January 2011
EU procurement rules unpopular

13 January 2011
The risks in cutting red tape

12-Jan-2011
Building on successful past experience

6 January 2011
Tribal in takeover talks again

21-Dec-2010
'Two-tier' code under review

21-Dec-2010
County council criticised over BT venture

20-Dec-2010
Productivity programme already faces shake-up

16 December 2010
Spectre of 1980s CCT policy looms from bill

16 December 2010
Pay and pension protection scrapped

13-Dec-2010
Battling through the procurement rules

9 December 2010
Procurement - 9 December 2010

9 December 2010
Salt 'crisis' if freeze persists

7-Dec-2010
EU rules could hit council mutual plans

24-Nov-2010
Veolia wins transparency case

22-Nov-2010
Moving the goalposts

15-Nov-2010
Procurement in the age of austerity

15-Nov-2010
Serco apologises for rebate demand

2-Nov-2010
Suppliers asked to cut their costs

28 October 2010
Public sector must buy smarter - Sir Philip

12-Oct-2010
Salt supplies already low, LGA warns

2-Oct-2010
Leaked report claims BT overcharging council

29-Sep-2010
Unison warns of future Connaughts

9-Sep-2010
Maude appoints procurement chief

12-Aug-2010
Procurement - 5 August 2010

5 August 2010
Reaping the benefits of a new strategy

5 August 2010
Raw financial data to be made available

29 July 2010
Public service co-production is key, says report

20-Jul-2010
Habit Ten - Manage the changing of the guard

15-Jul-2010
Habit Nine - Conduct regular health checks

July 2010 - online articles
Collaboration is more than a buzzword

10 June 2010
Procurement - 10 June 2010

10 June 2010
Train carriage procurement reviewed in NAO report

4-Jun-2010
Brighton embraces commissioning model

1-Jun-2010
Habit Eight - Pay attention to retained staff

June 2010 - online articles
Habit Seven - Don't push your partner away

June 2010 - online articles
Councils must collaborate more on buying

21-May-2010
Habit Six - Talk frankly but no grumbling

17-May-2010
Habit Five - Build and maintain trust, even friendship

6-May-2010
Council orders independent report on scrapped deal

5-May-2010
RIEP’s specialist staff who share their expertise

29 April 2010
Habit Four - Build a sense of public service with partner staff

23-Apr-2010
Habit Three - Keep the contract in the drawer

15-Apr-2010
Habit Two - Recruit the right people

6-Apr-2010
Auditor finds procurement tale 'unconvincing'

1-Apr-2010
RIEPS given three weeks to submit procurement plans

31-Mar-2010
Environmental pressure grows

31-Mar-2010
Procurement - 31 March 2010

31-Mar-2010
Habit One - Get the job title right

26-Mar-2010
Third sector can add value and cut costs

25 February 2010
Insurance consortium for south west councils

18-Feb-2010
‘More action needed’ on procurement

18 February 2010
Crucial lessons in finding efficiencies

18 February 2010
Rieps are leading the way

18 February 2010
RIEPs calls in an expert on buying

18 February 2010
Contract law has just got harder

14 January 2010
Procurement - 14 January 2010

14 January 2010
A new partnership

10 December 2009
Call for a ‘relentless’ focus on outcomes

10 December 2009
Rethinking service design

10 December 2009
Police chief warning on public sector crime link

7-Dec-2009
New guidance offers no easy answers

19 November 2009
Procurement - 19 November 2009

19 November 2009
Roanne case still a tender topic

19 November 2009
Case study: East of England

5 November 2009
New commissioning risks for councils

5 November 2009
Supply chain audit sparks service fears

5 November 2009
Councils face IT switch headache

19-Oct-2009
AGMA's procurement awayday

15-Oct-2009
Caught in the tender trap

8 October 2009
Dealing with contractors

8 October 2009
Procurement - 8 October 2009

8 October 2009
South West districts in joint insurance bid

7-Oct-2009
North Tyneside's futuristic new school

6-Oct-2009
Denham calls for smarter council procurement

24-Sep-2009
Alan Jones to retire from Somerset

17-Jul-2009
Procurement must benefit more, says Denham

25-Jun-2009
Managers 'unprepared' for outsourcing risks

24-Jun-2009
Councils' delicate balancing act

4 June 2009
Procurement: Role for a local hero

7-May-2009
Tough times for heroes

12-Mar-2009
Moving towards a shared future

21-Aug-2008
Call for better children's play

4-Aug-2008
Keeping an eye on the prize

25-Jul-2008
Unison wants probe into IBM contract

25-Jul-2008
Call for service post

16-Jul-2008
First local housing companies unveiled

16-Jul-2008
Special vehicle transfer bid

9-Jul-2008
Northamptonshire scraps traditional long-term care

9-Jul-2008
Equality moves to see women and ethnic minorities hired

26-Jun-2008
‘Remove barriers’, utilities told

25-Jun-2008
Northants capital deficit feared

18-Jun-2008
Inquiry ordered into Doncaster land/lease deal

18-Jun-2008
Lords scrutiny delays start of homes agency

18-Jun-2008
Social enterprise

18-Jun-2008
Back to the drawing board

18-Jun-2008
Section 106 squeeze

11-Jun-2008
Brent violated procurement law

21-May-2008
The big squeeze

14-May-2008
Turning down the heat

14-May-2008
Bringing outsourcing out of the shadows

14-May-2008
Legal action against OFT contractors investigated

14-May-2008
David Curry

7-May-2008
Correcting the mistakes

7-May-2008
Small firms being groomed

1-May-2008
Manchester leaders demand utilities role

30-Apr-2008
Wellbeing use doubts

30-Apr-2008
Disasters fail to shake Treasury resolve on PFI

30-Apr-2008
Letters

30-Apr-2008
Crack down on 'lollipop rage'

30-Apr-2008
Industry defends accused firms

24-Apr-2008
Olympic regeneration doubts

21-Apr-2008
OFT probe into 112 construction 'cartels'

17-Apr-2008
Partnership plan to speed BSF

16-Apr-2008
Commercial property price plunge bottoming out

19-Mar-2008
Push for joint working on waste

17-Mar-2008
Making the most of the market

17-Mar-2008
LGA tackles stores on packaging

12-Mar-2008
Success of unique customer service direct

12-Mar-2008
How to Be a Good Listener

8-Feb-2008
Shared services reference guide: Business processes

7-Feb-2008
Smaller housing associations 'miss out' on procurement

1-Feb-2008
Damning report prompts reform of contract procedure at Leicester

25-Jan-2008
Changes afoot in local government procurement

23-Jan-2008
PFIs 'must raise game'

17-Jan-2008
LGC Awards 2008 Shortlist

6-Dec-2007
MPs slam PFI progress

27-Nov-2007
'Scottish councils prevented from buying locally produced food'

3-Oct-2007
Unison Scotland: 'billions' wasted on PFI projects

3-Oct-2007
Scottish councils 'often prevented' from buying local food

3-Oct-2007
Fair pricing tool for adult care services

21-Sep-2007

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