Troubled Ajax programme 'far from on track' as MoD rejects contractor's claims
07 Nov Commercial

Troubled Ajax programme 'far from on track' as MoD rejects contractor's claims

MoD and former minister say new schedule to deliver Ajax armoured vehicles has not yet been agreed as noise problems remain
by Tevye Markson
NAO sounds alarm as funding shortfalls threaten departmental shared-services drive
30 Nov Commercial
NAO sounds alarm as funding shortfalls threaten departmental shared-services drive
Cabinet Office warned of ‘serious risk’ to services as UKCloud customers hit with sevenfold price increase
22 Nov Commercial
Cabinet Office warned of ‘serious risk’ to services as UKCloud customers hit with sevenfold price increase
Consultants should be made to declare lobbying of spads, MPs told
16 Nov Commercial
Consultants should be made to declare lobbying of spads, MPs told
Defence procurement has an opportunity to step up to the global challenge   Partner Content
08 Nov Commercial
Defence procurement has an opportunity to step up to the global challenge  
The war in Ukraine, rising costs and supply chain challenges mean a perfect storm is brewing in defence procurement. Proxima shares learnings from the private sector
Home Office 'committed' to Rwanda deportation scheme as airline pulls out
21 Oct Commercial
Home Office 'committed' to Rwanda deportation scheme as airline pulls out
Privilege Style says it "will not operate flights to Rwanda" after pressure from campaigners
‘Competing priorities’ hinder efforts to boost civil servants’ commercial skills
19 Oct Commercial
‘Competing priorities’ hinder efforts to boost civil servants’ commercial skills
Recruitment and spending controls also making it harder to train up contract managers and commercial specialists, Chisholm reveals
Cabinet Office needs new tech partner for property database after contract scrapped
14 Oct Commercial
Cabinet Office needs new tech partner for property database after contract scrapped
Second procurement process set to launch after late-running £1.3m InSite contract is cancelled
EXCL: Government to spend up to £62m on lease of second ministerial plane Exclusive
12 Oct Commercial
EXCL: Government to spend up to £62m on lease of second ministerial plane
"Brexit jet" lease extension comes despite expected public-spending squeeze and foreign secretary's insistent that “money’s tight”
DHSC chief commercial officer steps down
11 Oct Commercial
DHSC chief commercial officer steps down
Steve Oldfield also led the Office for Life Sciences
Civil servants question honesty of private partners – and each other
29 Sep Commercial
Civil servants question honesty of private partners – and each other
CSW survey finds two-thirds of officials struggle to find common ground with other government departments
Truss chief of staff Mark Fullbrook no longer paid via lobbying firm, No.10 says
27 Sep Commercial
Truss chief of staff Mark Fullbrook no longer paid via lobbying firm, No.10 says
Fullbrook joins government payroll as a special adviser following criticism of "questionable" contract
Cabinet Office ethics team signed off on PM's chief of staff being paid via lobbing firm
26 Sep Commercial
Cabinet Office ethics team signed off on PM's chief of staff being paid via lobbing firm
Liz Truss's chief of staff is being paid as a contractor through Fullbrook Strategies
DWP signs £1.4m deal to tap LinkedIn for recruitment
20 Sep Commercial
DWP signs £1.4m deal to tap LinkedIn for recruitment
Contract covers a range of licence subscriptions to be used across department
Headhunter fees for second fruitless attempt to hire government digital head revealed
15 Sep Commercial
Headhunter fees for second fruitless attempt to hire government digital head revealed
Department releases information on appeal under FoI rules – 18 months after request was made
DWP signs £170k deal for Microsoft Teams training
14 Sep Commercial
DWP signs £170k deal for Microsoft Teams training
Contract with specialist firm covers programmes on ‘managing information’ and ‘running large meetings’
Consultancy Playbook: How to get the best result when sourcing consultants Partner Content
05 Sep Commercial
Consultancy Playbook: How to get the best result when sourcing consultants
The best practices for ensuring successful delivery whilst getting the greatest value from increasingly constrained budgets
MoD to decide on future of troubled Ajax programme by end of year
17 Aug Commercial
MoD to decide on future of troubled Ajax programme by end of year
Department insists costs won't go above £5.5bn after being told to "fix or fail" armoured vehicle programme
Legacy costs take spending on digital border programme to £700m
11 Aug Commercial
Legacy costs take spending on digital border programme to £700m
But Home Office clams there ‘has been no increase or acceleration’ in underlying cost of scheme
The savvy shopper: CCS boss Simon Tse on delivering value for money and supporting policy priorities
11 Aug Commercial
The savvy shopper: CCS boss Simon Tse on delivering value for money and supporting policy priorities
The Crown Commercial Service has helped the public sector achieve record commercial benefits of almost £3bn, as well as respond to new global crises. Here, CCS chief executive Simon Tse shares his lessons from the past year
Driving commercial awareness in the civil service Partner Content
11 Aug Commercial
Driving commercial awareness in the civil service
Clare Gibbs, Senior Director and Commercial Specialist at the Cabinet Office, describes how her team is looking to embed commercial awareness from the word go
CCS consultancy spend goes up, but agency-staff costs plummet
10 Aug Commercial
CCS consultancy spend goes up, but agency-staff costs plummet
Annual report says Crown Commercial Service delivered almost £3bn in benefits to the public sector in 2021-2022
'Little did I realise I would be working on some of the largest challenges of our lifetime from day one' – life as a commercial lead
02 Aug Commercial
'Little did I realise I would be working on some of the largest challenges of our lifetime from day one' – life as a commercial lead
A huge diversity of people and roles make up the modern civil service. Kobirul Islam helps to ensure outcomes are delivered efficiently at the Home Office. He also co-chairs the Commercial Function’s Positive Support Group
Bosses face £870k in fines over Carillion cover-up
29 Jul Commercial
Bosses face £870k in fines over Carillion cover-up
FCA says “misleading” statements about contracting giant’s finances aggravated the impact of its 2018 collapse
MPs put lobbying rules under the spotlight after Greensill scandal
27 Jul Commercial
MPs put lobbying rules under the spotlight after Greensill scandal
Probe will examine weaknesses exposed by the Greensill scandal, including the disclosure of senior officials’ external meetings
Suppliers see progress in government tech-savviness, research finds
19 Jul Commercial
Suppliers see progress in government tech-savviness, research finds
But tech firms also see continued challenges, including overlapping frameworks and lack of clarity on social-value requirements
Government 'shouldn’t be scrambling' for external hires, Kate Bingham says
18 Jul Commercial
Government 'shouldn’t be scrambling' for external hires, Kate Bingham says
Ex-Vaccine Taskforce chief says government has not learned lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic
DCMS consultancy spending quadruples in two years
14 Jul Commercial
DCMS consultancy spending quadruples in two years
Money spent on external advice increased fourfold overnight