NHS Insourcing Contracts – Conflict of Interest alert..
Imagine you are a Head of Procurement. Workload is growing and you are suffering from staff shortages. Your team can’t keep up. So you go to your boss with a […]
Entries by Peter Smith
National Audit Office Won’t Sign Off UK Dept. of Health Accounts
The UK’s National Audit Office recently refused to sign-off the accounts of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for 2021-22. “A lack of sufficient, appropriate audit evidence and […]
Would You Employ These Men?
Some of our leading politicians would not be employable as business executives given their ethical values and behaviours.
Supercomputer – Not Very Super Procurement
We started the New Year with an expensive error made in UK government procurement. Atos, the large French technology firm, were paid £25 million after the firm complained about the […]
What’s In Store for Bad Buying in 2023?
As we enter 2023, what do the prospects for Bad Buying look like? No doubt, we will continue to see regular procurement and contract related fraud and corruption. It will […]
Gareth Davies, NAO Supremo, On Efficiency, Standards (and Procurement)
Last week, Gareth Davies, head of the UK’s National Audit Office, gave a speech to members of parliament and civil servants. He drew on the experience of NAO in carrying […]
Why You Should Think About Committing Fraud
Every organisation is vulnerable to fraud and corruption. You shoudl think about where the vulnerabilities lie – before the fraudsters do!
A Mone About PPE (Again!)
Reports in the Guardian last week suggested that Michelle Mone, business woman and member of the British House of Lords, benefited directly from PPE contracts which the government awarded during […]
Beware – Conflict of Interest Ahead!
Conflict of interest in procurement can occur in various ways and via various players in the process – and can be a minor issue or lead to serious corruption.
Waitrose Denies that New Systems are Causing Stock Issues
We write pretty regularly about public sector procurement disasters, probably more than we cover private sector failures. When I was researching and writing the Bad Buying book, I found it […]