Category Archives: cat-news

Government demands progress on collaborative university procurement

In its annual grant letter, the UK government said it expects to see “quantifiable progress” this year on recommendations that 30 per cent of non-pay spend should be addressed by collaborative purchasing.

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Government seeks ‘best councils to do business with’

The Department for Communities and Local Government has launched a contest encouraging local authorities to share experiences of how they are helping small businesses to access and win contracts.

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Apple vows to tackle child labour

A report published following an extensive audit following worker suicides at one of its suppliers, Foxconn, found 106 cases of underage labour being used at its suppliers’ premises last year.

The company increased audits of working conditions a…

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UK retailers review meat supply chain

The burgers which were supplied by Irish food firm Silvercrest to retailers including Tesco as well as fast-food giant Burger King, were revealed last week by the British press to contain horse DNA.

Since the revelation was made, supermarket chain Te…

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Asia Pacific companies rein in printer procurement

“Due to the economic slowdown, most of the graphic print service providers have been conservative on their budget, and holding back their spending in purchasing or changing their large format printers,” IDC noted.

Most of the countries in the region …

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HSBC outsources FM across property portfolio

This is the largest facility management contract awarded to a single provider on a global basis by a financial services firm, according to HSBC.The practice of outsourcing non-core real estate functions to dedicated third-party experts has increased i…

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Apple uncovers child labour at 11 supplier factories

“Our approach to underage labour is clear: we don’t tolerate it and we’re working to eradicate it from our industry,” the electronics company said in its 2013 supplier responsibility report.

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Research councils take on £4 billion government spend

The Research Councils Shared Services Centre is to take control of government spend on construction, research and facilities management projects as part of an agreement with the Government Procurement Service.

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Walmart helps Massmart with sourcing expertise

The parent company’s chief financial officer, Cathy Smith, says the South African retailer has benefited from leveraging its purchasing and store-opening experience.

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SMEs threaten to walk away from late payers

More than a fifth of small businesses have refused to do business with customers who fail to pay them on time.

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