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Getting contracts right and responding if they go wrong

• Posted on May 22, 2019 by Emma Willson

  Billions of pounds of cost increase due to contractual change, delays introducing communication networks for our emergency services, potential strains on Army personnel – our recent reports illustrate the huge importance of getting contracts right, and what organisations need to do if they go wrong. They also reinforce the principles discussed in previous posts in our Contract insights series: the great value of information and the crucial need to act intelligently, get risk allocation right and take sufficient time to plan upfront for all scenarios. more… Getting contracts right and responding if they go wrong

  Tagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Good practice principles, Major projects, Performance management, Project management, Public sector reform, Risk management

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The power of information for contracts

• Posted on October 1, 2018 by Iain Forrester

  From the collapse of Carillion, to failures within Capita’s £1 billion worth of public contracts, recent NAO reports starkly reiterate the importance of information in managing contracts. As the Comptroller & Auditor General said in his post Risks, resources and government-supplier relationships, government ‘needs to assess the financial health and sustainability of its major contractors and use this information to protect the public interest’. Here we outline the crucial role of information throughout the commercial lifecycle. more… The power of information for contracts

  Tagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Cross-government, Customer service, Good practice principles, Information management, Performance management, Risk management

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Contract management – challenges and consequences

• Posted on November 23, 2017 by Emma Willson

  Establishing solid foundations early in the contract and commercial relationship lifecycle is critical for contracts to work. But this process starts long before contracts are signed. Two recent NAO reports provide insights into the importance of getting both the procurement strategy and process right. Experience has shown that not doing so can result in millions of pounds in legal costs – £100 million in one recent case – or an uncompetitive contract leading to additional costs. This latest blog in our commercial and contract management series shares our recent insights across the market management and sourcing domain of our contracts lifecycle. more… Contract management – challenges and consequences

  Tagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Cross-government, Forecasting, Good practice principles, International, Public finances

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Intelligent contract competition and risk management

• Posted on April 7, 2017 by Emma Willson

  When it comes to public sector contracts, running proper competitions simply isn’t enough. Government needs to act intelligently to take advantage of competition between potential suppliers, weighing up options and considering who carries the risks, and at what cost. Since launching Commercial and contract management – insights and emerging best practice we’ve reported on two contracts that shed further light on these issues. We explore the new insights from these reports in this blog-post, the latest in our series on key issues for contracts and commercial relationships. more… Intelligent contract competition and risk management

  Tagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Cross-government, Forecasting, Good practice principles, International, Local government, Performance management, Project management, Public finances, Risk management

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Setting up successful contracts

• Posted on February 10, 2017 by Emma Willson

  Cost savings failing to materialise. Customers hit with poor service and financial losses from public services. Contracts disputed and terminated. Contracts can go badly wrong before they even begin if the set up and management aren’t right. Since launching Commercial and contract management: insights and emerging best practice we’ve reported on three contracts that have enjoyed varying degrees of success. As part of our series to share insights into best practice contracting, in this blog-post we explore lessons from these three contracts. more… Setting up successful contracts

  Tagged: Accountability, Contract insights series, Contract management, Cost reduction, Cross-government, Customer service, Good practice principles, Information management, Performance management, Risk management

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Government’s contracts – new insights into best practice

• Posted on November 16, 2016 by Emma Willson

  Many critical government activities rely on contracts. Following a review of our past work, and discussions across government, we’ve brought together our insights into what works well and less well across government commercial and contracting. We’ve identified case studies based on our past reports and what this means for emerging best practice. This post highlights our findings and explains the challenge for government to meet these higher standards. more… Government’s contracts – new insights into best practice

  Tagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Cross-government, Good practice principles, Performance management, Process management, Project management, Public sector markets, Risk management, Shared services, Skills

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