Public Spend Forum – Public Procurement and coronavirus news from this week

Forum (PSF) is a public sector procurement global community and market intelligence platform dedicated to improving public procurement. GovShop is its free-to-use government market research tool for finding and connecting with suppliers.

Responding to COVID-19: Verified Personal Protective Equipment Suppliers (PPE)

To minimise issues of personal protective equipment deals going wrong, or awarding contracts to unqualified suppliers, resulting in no supply or a need to cancel contracts, Public Spend Forum (PSF) is working alongside partners from US government and industry to address the need for a central source to document verified suppliers. PSF’s free searchable supplier intelligence and marketplace, GovShop, is providing supplier verification, contract identification, and real-time inventory availability in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) response efforts.

The Rule of Two & Small Business Set Aside Program

In this guidance Frank McNally explains how the US government requires that its agencies provide fair opportunity to small businesses. And just like in the UK and other countries there exists a Small Business Administration with the express mission to provide economic opportunity to the nation’s small businesses. This discussion explains how this operates, looking at the ‘set aside’ mechanism to help government agencies meet their small business goals and the Rule of Two which works to give small businesses a chance to win a contract without having to compete against “other than” small businesses.

And in other news ...

Global Cybersecurity Market Insights, Projections, and Key Players

London councils launch procurement partnership as care homes face PPE challenges

Bank of England to name recipients of coronavirus  loans to increase transparency about which firms are being bailed out

Local UK procurement shakeup to tackle construction SMEs’ recession fears

Transparency International Romania demands information on state of emergency procurements to be made public

Austria: Legal guide on public contracting in light of the COVID-19 pandemic - and other countries

Healthcare procurement officials in Spain - the coronavirus crisis turns it into a high-pressure job

MPs slam MoD's 'utter failure' to improve contract management as nuclear project costs soar