Contracting
Here you will find a general range of documents that consider a range of issues relating to procurement/competitive tendering.
(Please note: links on this page will open the page in a new browser window)
The Influence of Outcome-Based Contracting on Provider-led Pathways to Work (PDF) Maria Hudson, Joan Phillips, Kathryn Ray, Sandra Vegeris, Rosemary Davidson, 2010 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) This report, of research carried out by the Policy Studies Institute on behalf of DWP, explores the influence of outcome-based contracting (OBC) upon the delivery of Provider-led Pathways to Work (PL Pathways), with particular concern for targets and their influence. UK
Procurement Capability Review Programme - Tranche One Web Portal (Web Page)
Office of Government Commerce (OGC), 2007
Procurement Capability Reviews were announced for all Government departments in January 2007 in line with HM Treasury's 'Transforming Government Procurement' report. A PCR aims to provide an independent, strategic view of the overall procurement capability of a department and its wider network of agencies, identifying exemplars as well as areas for improvement. This first overview examined the following three subjects: Department for Education and Skills, Department for Communities and Local Government, and Department for Work and Pensions. Tranche Two of PCRs is due in December 2008. This links is to a web page providing access to the overview report as well as each department-specific report.
Collaborate and Innovate a New World of Sourcing (PDF) Ticoll, David and Scott, Robert, 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers This document is written in support of collaborative outsourcing. It asserts that collaboration is more likely to lead to better results and allow for an open business model, where companies are able to form relationships with each other. The document also suggests changes that may be expected in outsourcing such as an increasing pressure for collaboration. UK
Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series: Working Paper No. 1/05 (PDF) Jenson Paul. H, Stonecash Robin E, 2005 Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research
A comparison of expenditure across fixed-price and cost-plus contracts examining contract efficiency in a complex contractural environment.
AustraliaUK Public Sector Outsourcing - The Big Picture Kable Research, 2004 UK
Tendering for Government Contracts A Guide for Small Businesses (PDF)
Office of Government Commerce (OGC), 2004
A guide designed to help small businesses in Engalnd explore business possibilities within the public sector and how to bid for contracts in such areas.
Outsourcing in Government: Pathways to Value (PDF) Healy, Tom J. and Linder, Jane C. , 2003 Accenture This report looks at the current global state of outsourcing. It identifies the countries that are outsourcing jobs the most, as well as the sector in which outsourcing in government is most dominant. The report provides the reasons for which countries are choosing to outsource. The authors' conclude that whilst outsourcing in the public sector is particularly challenging, some governments around the world have had some successful results with it. UK
Designing a Performance-Based Competitive Sourcing Process for the Federal Government (PDF) DeMaio, Carl D.; Moore, Adrian and Badolato, Vincent, 2002 Reason Public Policy Institute and The Performance Institute A report by independent think tanks RPPI and the Performance Institute on the US federal government competitive sourcing process. It presents a series of recommendations about how the competitions might be improved. USA
Competitive Procurement Audit Commission, 2002 ISBN 1 86240 350 3 UK
Contracting Out and the Two-Tier Workforce (Web Page) UNISON Local Government , 2000 Best Value Intelligence Unit This report sets out the preliminary findings of a UNISON project into the impact of contracting-out in the NHS and local government. The main concern of the report is the perceived two-tier workforce which creates an unequal playing field between the private and public sector. The article concludes that contracting out is forcing down pay and conditions. UK
Competitive Tendering and Contracting in the New South Wales Public Sector NSW Public Bodies Review Committee and the Standing Committee on Public Works, 1998 Joint Inquiry, Parliament of New South Wales, Sydney Australia
Contracting Out Government Services: Best Practice Guidelines and Case Studies Organisation for Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD), 1997 Public Management Occasional Paper No. 20 UK
Contracting Out by the Public Sector: Theory, Evidence, Prospects Domberger, Simon and Jensen, Paul, 1997 Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 13, No.4 Review of the theory of contracting out public serivces and the literature on empirical evidence of cost savings. It also looks at the broader effects on employment and accountability. Australia
The Outsourcing Manual White, Robert & James, Barry , 1996 Aldershot: Gower Publishing UK
Competitive Tendering and Contracting by Public Sector Agencies Industry Commission, 1996 Report No.48, 24 January 1996, Melbourne: Australian Government Publishing Service Report on CTC by an independent governmental commission in Australia Australia
The Contracting Casebook: Competitive Tendering in Action Domberger, Simon & Hall, Christine (eds), 1995 Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service Australian case studies Australia
Competitive Tendering and Contracting in the Public Sector: A Survey Domberger, S. and Rimmer, S., 1994 International Journal of the Economics of Business, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 439-453 An international survey of theory, literature and practice on CTC and evidence on cost and quality. It identified a lack of generally accepted measures of quality under CCT contracting. USA
National Procurement Development Program Industry Commission, 1992 Report No. 20 by the Industry Commission (Now the Productivity Commission) Australia
Counter speculation, Auctions, and Competitive Sealed Tenders Vickery, William , 1961 Journal of Finance, 16(1), pp.8-37 Looks at the efficiency implications of different competitive arrangements USA