Procurement News, Opinions and Latest Market Leads

Fact checked by Eddie Regan, BiP Solutions Principal Procurement Consultant Choosing where to prioritise your new business efforts can be a challenge. Many businesses simply don’t have insight into key areas of opportunity, while others may not have the time or resources in-house to support bidding for the opportunities they are aware of. We seek […]

For many businesses either bidding for public sector contracts or already winning government tenders, a core issue that they face is the time and resources required versus those available to proactively research the market and also find relevant public tender opportunities as they arise. This is true of experienced bid teams just as much as […]

2021 is here and it is an exciting time for suppliers. The public sector has planned extensive investment to ‘level up’ the UK as it recovers from a year of COVID-19 related challenges. We reveal areas of opportunities for suppliers and advice on cybersecurity below. Good news for construction suppliers Market Intelligence expert Glenigan predicts […]

The latest Glenigan UK Construction Industry Forecast for 2021-2022 has revealed that “COVID-19 pandemic inflicted a massive shock to UK construction, but that a gradual but sustained recovery is anticipated for the next two years.” The report which was originally released in November 2020, has been updated in January 2021 to include expert commentary on […]

2020 is a year that many will not forget! The year hosted a landmark Spending Review. There were a great number of public sector tenders for the COVID-19 pandemic released; and the UK Government shone the spotlight on issues like modern slavery and social value within procurement. We take a look back on 2020 below. […]

Procurement has suddenly become very interesting, in the run-up to the end of the Transition period on 31st December. Whether you are a buyer or a supplier, there has been a small flurry of information relating to public procurement as we head into 2021. Some of this means change in certain areas, depending on who you […]

UK Infrastructure pre-pandemic was gearing up for what was heralded as the ‘infrastructure revolution’ with the March Budget labelled the ‘Construction’ budget. While the sector has, inevitably, been affected by the ongoing economic uncertainty, the outlook remains positive. The UK now focused on recovery, will see between £29 billion and £37 billion of contracts across […]

  The Spending Review 2020 speech was delivered by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on 25 November 2020. The Spending Review covered the coming 12 months and allocated “£3 billion to support NHS recovery, allowing them to carry out up to a million checks, scans and operations.” Mr Sunak promised to deliver on the priorities of the […]

It is good news for those working in the construction sector. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP, has set out a plan for extensive investment to ‘level up’ the UK at a time when the country needs it most. According to UK Construction online the latest Spending Review “gives hope for many, after […]

  The global pandemic has meant that all organisations have had to adjust their protective security arrangements to reflect changing threats and new working practices and personal protective equipment (PPE) has been a huge part of this. We look at the English government’s next steps for procuring PPE and preparing for the “second wave” of […]

  Social value has become increasingly important for central government, national governments around the world, and the private sector too. Although social value has been a legal requirement for any procurement exercise since 2012, but it remains an often vaguely understood term. Despite a Government review in 2015 which recommended that “[the] measurement of social […]

    The latest Tracker report “UK Infrastructure – Opportunities in Education” has revealed that the sector is budgeted at £94.3Bn for 2021. The report which was created in association with Construction Online is part of a series, which will consider specific infrastructure opportunities within Health, Defence, Education, Central and Local Government.   Education marketplace […]

  The UK Government has released new tough measures to tackle modern slavery in supply chains. The government’s response to the transparency in supply chains consultation sets out new measures to hold businesses and public bodies accountable for tackling modern slavery.   What is the Modern Slavery Act? According to the UK government, the Modern […]

  The latest Tracker report “UK Infrastructure – Opportunities in Health” has revealed that NHS procurement spend is over £27 billion each year, making it one of the highest-spending areas of the public sector. Created in association with Construction Online, the report is the is the first in a series, which will consider specific infrastructure […]

Recent figures from the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline point to utilities as the third largest sector by investment within the infrastructure sector. Nothing can be built without first providing the basic utilities of waste, water, energy and so forth and with the UK currently in the midst of a housing drive to address the […]

On 3 June, the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnston, said he wanted to use the crisis caused by the pandemic “to tackle this country’s great unresolved challenges” and get the UK construction sector moving. Almost three months on from the government’s “Build, Build, Build” announcement, we reveal some of the latest infrastructure announcements below.   […]

Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has revealed a £1.3 billion investment to deliver homes, infrastructure, and jobs. A press release published on the government website states, “that Funds to deliver up to 45,000 homes, create up to 85,000 jobs and upgrade skills and infrastructure to help fuel a green economic recovery announced.” Upgrades […]

  During these uncertain times, the UK construction industry has been determined to get back to work, with industry’s leaders urging the Prime Minister to keep construction sites open for as long as responsibly justified during the coronavirus outbreak. Although turnover and cashflow will remain a concern over the remainder of 2020 as construction sites, […]

  Construction is one of the largest industry sectors in the UK, representing around six per cent of GDP. The sector has played a vital role in keeping the UK running during the COVID-19 pandemic, with workers playing an integral part in the build of Nightingale hospitals and ensuring buildings are kept safe. The latest […]

In a previous blog, we wrote about how the public sector is very much open for business and has been issuing contract notices relevant to companies of all sizes during the Coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has led buyers across the UK public sector to use either direct award (procurement without competition or Accelerated Procedures. These […]