| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Private landlord with 1000 properties..... | |
| Posted by: | Guy Lambert | |
| Date/Time: | 08/01/14 20:24:00 |
| I could tell you quite a bit about how government procurement works - similar rules apply to local and central government. I haven't seen G4S in action but I have certainly seen Serco and Capita. Government procurement starts with long-listing where suppliers have to demonstrate their capacity to do the job. In the past I worked for a smaller (but by no means small, with 2-3000 UK employees and >10,000 in Europe) supplier and very often we simply could not demonstrate the scale to be considered for larger contracts. I know local authorities who despaired of Capita but could not find anyone else to bid who would pass muster so it often ended up with Capita v Serco v someone big trying to break into the market but who didn't really understand it (EG BT). In the end they stay with the devil they know on the basis that it's much harder to fire someone who cocks up by going with the market leader. At central government I think slightly different factors apply. Ministers (of whatever party) are often full of their own importance and would rather be taking a gin and tonic with the managing partner of KPMG or Goldman Sachs or, indeed, G4S (who only 2 years ago were bidding to be the biggest facilities management company in the world) than some workaday supplier who provides decent service and value for money. The other thing of course is ministers and civil servants thinking about their future careers - the Geoff Hoons of this world running their 'cabs for hire', Chris Huhne now working for an energy consultancy and Dave Hartnett (formerly head of HMRC, now a tax adviser at Deloittes) - would prefer to keep in with those to which £250k pa is 'chicken feed' (to quote our Mayor commenting on his own job which he does in his spare time from messing up London!). It goes against the grain a bit but I must commend the current government who are actually making what seems to be a genuine attempt to spread spend to smaller suppliers, at least in IT. Oh, and whilst I'm at it, well done John Todd for not point-scoring about Isleworth Public Hall: some tories have principles! |