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	<title>Tenders Direct Blog &#187; Tim Williams</title>
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		<title>Tenders Direct Blog &#187; Tim Williams</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk</link>
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		<item>
		<title>Inappropriate use of Negotiated and Competitive Dialogue Procedures</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/11/18/inappropriate-use-of-negotiated-and-competitive-dialogue-procedures/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/11/18/inappropriate-use-of-negotiated-and-competitive-dialogue-procedures/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:39:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=798</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some public authorities use the negotiated or competitive dialogue procedures for awarding contracts, when in fact the regulations are actually quite strict on which procedure they should choose and authorities should be using the Open or Restricted procedure in most circumstances. Regulation 12 of the Public Contracts Regulations states: A contracting authority shall use— (a) the [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&amp;blog=9183775&amp;post=798&amp;subd=millstreamassoc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/11/18/inappropriate-use-of-negotiated-and-competitive-dialogue-procedures/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/0a093f6fb51cf492190c523b390d36ea?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Tim Williams</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Procurement Fraud in English Councils</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/11/10/procurement-fraud-in-english-councils/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/11/10/procurement-fraud-in-english-councils/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:50:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=789</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Audit Commission has today published the results of its annual survey of fraud against English councils and related bodies (Protecting the Public Purse 2011). The 2010/11 report shows that: fraud directed against public sector organisations costs taxpayers £21.2 billion/year fraud against councils costs more than £2 billion/year councils detected more than £185 million worth [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&amp;blog=9183775&amp;post=789&amp;subd=millstreamassoc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/11/10/procurement-fraud-in-english-councils/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
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			<media:title type="html">Tim Williams</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/ppp-20111.jpg?w=105" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Audit Commission Report</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>New research: UK deficit can be slashed without cuts to public services</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/10/04/new-research-uk-deficit-can-be-slashed-without-cuts-to-public-services/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/10/04/new-research-uk-deficit-can-be-slashed-without-cuts-to-public-services/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:36:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=776</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A third of the UK&#8217;s structural deficit (£38bn) could be eliminated by reforming how the public sector buys its goods and services, according to a major new report by Henley Business School at the University of Reading and specialist consulting group Future Purchasing. A complimentary copy of the report is downloadable from www.deficit-reduction.com. Making performance improvements [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&amp;blog=9183775&amp;post=776&amp;subd=millstreamassoc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/10/04/new-research-uk-deficit-can-be-slashed-without-cuts-to-public-services/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/0a093f6fb51cf492190c523b390d36ea?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Tim Williams</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/henley-business-school3.jpg?w=300" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Henley Business School</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Corruption claims against Edinburgh City Council</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/09/20/corruption-claims-against-edinburgh-city-council/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/09/20/corruption-claims-against-edinburgh-city-council/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:40:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics of Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Procurement Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=761</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[BBC Scotland is broadcasting a documentary tonight (20th September) titled &#8216;Scotland&#8217;s Property Scandal&#8217;  on BBC1 Scotland (Sky Channel 971) after the news at 22:35. It will also be available on the BBC iPlayer for those of you who don&#8217;t have access to BBC Scotland. The programme investigates the evidence of possible fraud, wrong-doing and incompetence in the [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&amp;blog=9183775&amp;post=761&amp;subd=millstreamassoc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/09/20/corruption-claims-against-edinburgh-city-council/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
	
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			<media:title type="html">Tim Williams</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/roof-repairs3.jpg?w=300" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Roof repairs</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Is scrapping PQQ&#8217;s really a good idea?</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/16/is-scrapping-pqqs-really-a-good-idea/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/16/is-scrapping-pqqs-really-a-good-idea/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:24:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics of Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cabinet Office]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PQQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pre-Qualification Questionnaire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=679</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Cabinet Office under Francis Maude, has announced that it intends to eliminate PQQs (Pre-Qualification Questionnaires) for all central government procurements under £100,000. While I hate filling these things in and find that they are frequently lazily or incompetently written and just as often poorly evaluated, they do fulfil a useful purpose. That is, they [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&amp;blog=9183775&amp;post=679&amp;subd=millstreamassoc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/16/is-scrapping-pqqs-really-a-good-idea/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/0a093f6fb51cf492190c523b390d36ea?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Tim Williams</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cabinet Office consultation on public contracts</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/16/cabinet-office-consultation-on-public-contracts/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/16/cabinet-office-consultation-on-public-contracts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:05:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics of Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Procurement Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cabinet Office]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[European Commission]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Office of Government Commerce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OGC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Procurement directives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=665</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In December 2010 the Cabinet Office invited feedback on the effectiveness of the public procurement rules. The purpose of that exercise was to inform the UK’s involvement in the ongoing review of the rules by the European Commission. The Commission’s review is still underway, and it has now released a formal public consultation paper to which the [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&amp;blog=9183775&amp;post=665&amp;subd=millstreamassoc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/16/cabinet-office-consultation-on-public-contracts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/0a093f6fb51cf492190c523b390d36ea?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Tim Williams</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">Cabinet Office</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Supreme Court overturns procurement case</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/10/supreme-court-overturns-procurement-case/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/10/supreme-court-overturns-procurement-case/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:59:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Procurement Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Court of Appeal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[European Court of Justice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[High Court]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Risk Management Partners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RMP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Supreme Court]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teckal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=636</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Supreme Court yesterday (9th February 2011) delivered a landmark judgement in the first procurement case to reach the court, overturning previous decisions of the High Court and the Court of Appeal.  The economic downturn and the massive cuts in funding for local authorities which are now beginning to flow through will increasingly require councils [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&amp;blog=9183775&amp;post=636&amp;subd=millstreamassoc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/10/supreme-court-overturns-procurement-case/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
	
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			<media:title type="html">Tim Williams</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/supreme-court-logo.jpg?w=150" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Supreme Court logo</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/supreme-court-justices2.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Supreme Court justices</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/kaz-janowicz-1.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Kaz Janowicz</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Modernisation of the European Public Procurement Market</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/01/modernisation-of-the-european-public-procurement-market/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/01/modernisation-of-the-european-public-procurement-market/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:49:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics of Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Procurement Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DG Markt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[European Commission]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[European Union]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Procurement directives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=610</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Public procurement accounts for roughly 17% of the European Union’s GDP. In times of tight budgets and economic difficulties in many Member States, public procurement policy must ensure the most efficient use of public funds, with a view to supporting growth and job creation. This would require flexible and user-friendly tools that make transparent and [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&amp;blog=9183775&amp;post=610&amp;subd=millstreamassoc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2011/02/01/modernisation-of-the-european-public-procurement-market/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/0a093f6fb51cf492190c523b390d36ea?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Tim Williams</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/european-commission.gif?w=150" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">European Union</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Getting feedback at the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) stage</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/12/02/getting-feedback-at-the-pre-qualification-questionnaire-pqq-stage/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/12/02/getting-feedback-at-the-pre-qualification-questionnaire-pqq-stage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:23:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Procurement Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debrief]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PQQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pre-Qualification Questionnaire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Procurement directives]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=506</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the most frequent questions we are asked at Tenders Direct is &#8216;Am I entitled to feedback if I get knocked out at the PQQ stage?&#8216; This is a very important question as pre-qualification is used much more often in the UK than in the rest of Europe. The chart below shows the relative proportion [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&amp;blog=9183775&amp;post=506&amp;subd=millstreamassoc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/12/02/getting-feedback-at-the-pre-qualification-questionnaire-pqq-stage/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/0a093f6fb51cf492190c523b390d36ea?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Tim Williams</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/ojeu-procedures1.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">OJEU Procedures</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Sir Philip Green&#8217;s Efficiency Review &#8216;Stating the bleeding obvious&#8217;?</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/10/14/sir-philip-greens-efficiency-review-stating-the-bleeding-obvious/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/10/14/sir-philip-greens-efficiency-review-stating-the-bleeding-obvious/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:43:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics of Procurement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=393</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This week saw the publication of Sir Philip Green’s ‘Efficiency Review.’ My favourite response, apparently made by a Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman was ‘Most of it, to use Greenspeak, is a statement of the bleeding obvious.’ As Nick Timmins commented in the Financial Times this week: ‘We have been here before. They all found the [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&amp;blog=9183775&amp;post=393&amp;subd=millstreamassoc&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/10/14/sir-philip-greens-efficiency-review-stating-the-bleeding-obvious/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/0a093f6fb51cf492190c523b390d36ea?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Tim Williams</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/philip-green4.jpg?w=209" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Sir Philip Green</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/francis-maude-danny-alexander.jpg?w=150" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Francis Maude &#38; Danny Alexander</media:title>
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