Commercial disputes with suppliers reveal the consequences of weak supplier oversight. Ongoing production issues show inadequate quality management and ineffective contractual controls across complex supply chains. Supplier performance management must continue after the contract signing. This is a key theme of our contract management courses...

London's Mayor has accused the Metropolitan Police of designing a procurement process to ensure Palantir won a contract worth up to £50 million. Court documents allege inadequate market testing and a failure to run a genuine competition. They allege misleading information during governance approvals and breaches of procurement rules. The contract is now subject to litigation. Procurement...

New procurement guidance places much greater emphasis on transparency, value for money, supplier due diligence and ongoing contract oversight. Poor commercial decisions are now more visible and easier to challenge. Evaluation methodology, record-keeping, conflicts of interest, governance, and compliance. Organisations need staff trained on both procurement law and commercial decision-mak...

Audits across councils continue to identify overreliance on emergency procurement, weak contract monitoring, and inadequate supplier performance management, prompting many authorities to strengthen their commercial capability. Strong procurement processes are ineffective without robust post-award contract management....

The Cabinet Office continues to emphasise that stronger contract management is essential because many public sector failures originate after award, not during tendering. The latest Contract Management Playbook reinforces governance, supplier relationship management, risk management, performance monitoring and commercial capability.Contract administration, KPI management, governance, ...

Legal experts are reporting increasing procurement challenges as organisations adapt to the UK's new procurement regime. Authorities are being reminded that every evaluation and award decision must be fully documented in anticipation of litigation. The new procurement rules are creating new legal risks. Are your procurement and contract management skills up to date?If you need to upd...

The £6bn+ Ajax programme has suffered years of delays, safety concerns, specification issues and escalating costs. Independent reviews point to weaknesses in risk allocation, governance and commercial oversight.  Poor requirements management and weak commercial governance can cost billions. The British Army is facing the prospect of a conflict with Russia with little faith in its main ba...

UK National Savings & Investments (NS&I) cancelled its major outsourced IT transformation project after around £3 billion was spent with little value delivered. The project highlighted weaknesses in supplier oversight, governance and commercial management. Awarding a contract is only the beginning. Effective supplier governance and contract management are essential.Our WorldC...

Procurement and commercial managers should note that recent court decisions emphasise the importance of adhering to the natural meaning of well-drafted commercial contracts. This highlights that precise drafting is the most effective risk management tool available. Courts are generally reluctant to assist parties who have engaged in poor drafting, and they will not rectify a bad bargain....

UK Courts are currently assessing the formation of legally binding agreements by examining not just the written documents, but also the objective conduct and communications of the parties involved. This highlights the importance of buyers and commercial managers maintaining meticulous records that capture the narrative of their commercial dealings.Key considerations include:- Avo...