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	<title>Tenders Direct Blog</title>
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	<description>Comment from the experts at Tenders Direct.</description>
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		<title>Tenders Direct Blog</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk</link>
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		<item>
		<title>Not winning any contracts?</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/06/30/not-winning-any-contracts/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/06/30/not-winning-any-contracts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:14:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jill Watson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tender Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OJEU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tenders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PQQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Winning Tenders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Win]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Competitive Tenders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Evaluation Criteira]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=346</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are you going for lots of tender opportunities but finding that you just can’t seem to get a look in?  Could you be guilty of bidding “blind”?

I sometimes get the sense that businesses new to public sector tenders (or sometimes even those with years of experience) think that on submitting a PQQ or a Bid,  as long as they’ve made some sort of submission, they’re in with as much  chance as anyone at  getting into the next round or winning the contract outright.  A bit like hoping your lottery numbers come up on a Saturday night or sending out reams of speculative CV’s on the hunt for a new job.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&blog=9183775&post=346&subd=millstreamassoc&ref=&feed=1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/06/30/not-winning-any-contracts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
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			<media:title type="html">Jill Watson</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/picture1.jpg?w=300" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Evaluator</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Answering your Questions on Framework Agreements</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/05/27/answering-your-questions-on-framework-agreements/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/05/27/answering-your-questions-on-framework-agreements/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 May 2010 16:47:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Diane Callaghan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tender Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business opportunity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Framework Agreement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Office of Government Commerce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OGC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OJEC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OJEU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Procurement directives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public sector]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[purchasing consortium]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tender]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thresholds]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=332</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What is a framework agreement? A framework agreement is an ‘umbrella agreement’ that sets out the terms (particularly relating to price, quality and quantity) under which individual contracts (call-offs) can be made throughout the period of the agreement (normally a maximum of 4 years). Do framework agreements need to be advertised in OJEU? If the [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&blog=9183775&post=332&subd=millstreamassoc&ref=&feed=1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/05/27/answering-your-questions-on-framework-agreements/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/8e412465c26d1ff605198584a8f49faa?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">dianecallaghan</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Public contracts after the General Election</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/05/05/public-contracts-after-the-general-election/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/05/05/public-contracts-after-the-general-election/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 May 2010 13:29:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics of Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Big Government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business opportunity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Election]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public sector]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=321</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Despite the three election debates, none of us are any the wiser precisely how the next Government will cut expenditure in order to pay off the financial deficit. We know that change is (hopefully) coming that will reduce the size of &#8216;Big Government&#8217; and while change often brings threats, it also brings opportunities. The main [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&blog=9183775&post=321&subd=millstreamassoc&ref=&feed=1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/05/05/public-contracts-after-the-general-election/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">Party leaders</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Don’t Judge a Tender by its Title</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/04/16/don%e2%80%99t-judge-a-tender-by-its-title/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/04/16/don%e2%80%99t-judge-a-tender-by-its-title/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:15:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Diane Callaghan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tender Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Common Procurement Vocabulary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CPV Codes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OJEU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tender titles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=313</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Is it your job to find that golden opportunity hidden amongst hundreds of vaguely related tender notices?  How many tenders do you dismiss on title alone?  Well, you might just be missing some valuable business opportunities. Some examples: A tender with the title ‘catering equipment’ published by Curraheen Hospital Ltd was also inviting suppliers of [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&blog=9183775&post=313&subd=millstreamassoc&ref=&feed=1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/04/16/don%e2%80%99t-judge-a-tender-by-its-title/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/8e412465c26d1ff605198584a8f49faa?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">dianecallaghan</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>How well do you know your buyer?</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/04/09/how-well-do-you-know-your-buyer/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/04/09/how-well-do-you-know-your-buyer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:52:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Neil Thompson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public sector]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[suppliers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tender]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=307</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;re looking for new markets and have stumbled upon the public sector option &#8211; do not be misled into thinking it will be exactly the same as selling to a private sector client. The private sector purchaser can largely suit themselves when it comes to what they buy, who they buy from and how [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&blog=9183775&post=307&subd=millstreamassoc&ref=&feed=1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/04/09/how-well-do-you-know-your-buyer/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/ec02c30766e04308174daa4c44d3dafd?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Neil Thompson</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Flying the Flag for Small Businesses</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/03/31/flying-the-flag-for-small-businesses/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/03/31/flying-the-flag-for-small-businesses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:09:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Neil Thompson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business opportunity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Glover Report]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Office of Government Commerce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OGC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Procurement Best Practice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[suppliers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tender]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tenders Direct]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=288</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Recommendations first outlined in the Glover Report to help small businesses identify contract opportunities are now coming to fruition. The Glover Report &#8211; Accelerating the SME Economic Engine states… “Tendering opportunities thought especially suitable for SMEs or consortia of SMEs should be flagged by the procurer during the advertising process.” Although this idea has been [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&blog=9183775&post=288&subd=millstreamassoc&ref=&feed=1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/03/31/flying-the-flag-for-small-businesses/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/ec02c30766e04308174daa4c44d3dafd?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Neil Thompson</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/flag.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">flag</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>eTendering &#8211; The Final Frontier or Just the Beginning&#8230;?</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/26/etendering-the-final-frontier-or-just-the-beginning/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/26/etendering-the-final-frontier-or-just-the-beginning/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:53:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Hailey Thomson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Tender Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tender]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tenders Direct]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public sector]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eTenders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eTendering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eProcurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Future of Procurement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=276</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don&#8217;t think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without talking about the other. Bill Gates Today’s technology is high-speed and merciless; if you miss even one of the latest trends, you’ve practically fallen off the face of the earth. As purchasers move more and more into [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&blog=9183775&post=276&subd=millstreamassoc&ref=&feed=1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/26/etendering-the-final-frontier-or-just-the-beginning/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/c6e7ea8900b4a5f85e2434af16ff7194?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Hailey Thomson</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>How to score with PQQs</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/20/how-to-score-with-pqqs/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/20/how-to-score-with-pqqs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:00:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Diane Callaghan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tender Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business opportunity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Office of Government Commerce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OGC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public sector]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PQQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[suppliers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pre-Qualification Questionnaire]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=251</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[PQQs (Pre-Qualification Questionnaires) are issued by awarding authorities, as part of a restricted procedure, in order to short-list suitable suppliers before inviting them to tender.  Suppliers are assessed according to pre-set criteria based around financial position, ability to deliver, quality standards, and the company’s policies on health and safety, sustainability and equal opportunities. Public sector [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&blog=9183775&post=251&subd=millstreamassoc&ref=&feed=1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/20/how-to-score-with-pqqs/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/8e412465c26d1ff605198584a8f49faa?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">dianecallaghan</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://millstreamassoc.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/prequalification1.jpg?w=150" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">PreQualification</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Gordon&#8217;s EU Compact for Jobs &amp; Growth</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/19/gordons-eu-compact-for-jobs-growth-2/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/19/gordons-eu-compact-for-jobs-growth-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:11:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Politics of Procurement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=261</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In yet another sign of the growing political significance of public procurement the UK Government today published a compact designed to reinvigorate EU economies and build “strong, sustainable and balanced” growth. Gordon Brown met EU President Herman van Rompuy at Downing Street this morning to discuss the economic strategy, as well as climate change, security [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&blog=9183775&post=261&subd=millstreamassoc&ref=&feed=1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/19/gordons-eu-compact-for-jobs-growth-2/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/2010/01/brown-rompuy2.jpg?w=150" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Gordon Brown &#38; Herman van Rompuy</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Financial thresholds for contracts published in the Official Journal (OJEU)</title>
		<link>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/08/finanical-thresholds-for-contracts-published-in-the-official-journal-ojeu/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/08/finanical-thresholds-for-contracts-published-in-the-official-journal-ojeu/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:05:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Williams</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Procurement Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Government Procurement Agreement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GPA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IMF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International Monetary Fund]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OJEC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OJEU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[procurement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public contracts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Procurement directives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public sector]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SDR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special Drawing Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tenders Direct]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thresholds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Utilities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WETP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/?p=235</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m a bit late with this blog post, what with Christmas and New Year and then all the snow, but better late than never. On January 1st 2010  new financial thresholds, which govern whether or not a contract must be published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), came into force. There&#8217;s often [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=blog.tendersdirect.co.uk&blog=9183775&post=235&subd=millstreamassoc&ref=&feed=1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/01/08/finanical-thresholds-for-contracts-published-in-the-official-journal-ojeu/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/2010/01/euros1.jpg?w=150" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Euros</media:title>
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