News Summary of Collaboration and Shared Services from 29 January 2014

After reading the new edition of Shared Service Architecture Magazine sent out last week, one of our SS(PRAC)s wrote to say:

Just read the new issue of SSA Magazine, and I have to take a few moments to provide some really positive feedback……  It is excellent!  There is more information in the 44 pages on what is changing, how it is changing, and how I should change with it, than I could ever amass quickly if I went looking for it myself. There is some really tangible ‘stuff’ in here that I can directly relate to work that I have going on at the moment. The Collaborative Leadership pages are very powerful.

If you missed your copy then go to Edition 9 of Shared Service Architecture Magazine.  If you would like to provide an article for the May edition of the magazine then drop me an email.

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EU Procurement – Important Changes (Highway Code Update)

On the 15^th of January, the EU voted through new guidance on public sector procurement. Section 7, in the very valuable guide below to those procurement changes, explains the new TEKAL test factors that impact on Public-to-Public shared services.

The 10 most important features of the EU's overhaul of public procurement law

Laws governing the public sector's procurement of goods and services in the EU are about to undergo the biggest changes since 2004. Read more >>>

You may want to save the document in your Highway Code folder!

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Welsh Local Government Re-organisation

Last week we reported on the WLGA report suggesting that Welsh Local Government re-organisation was all too expensive. Not everyone is in agreement…

 

Welsh council mergers could save £80m

Consolidation of the 22 Welsh local authorities could spark homes surge. Read more >>>

A new report from the Welsh National Audit Office, in the next item, points to the failure of Welsh councils to collaborate with each other to save money. But when why should they have collaborated? Up until now they could afford not to. It was only after the scathing cuts to English Councils in 2010 that collaborative working became a key ambition for them…

 

Cracks beginning to show in Welsh councils, auditors warn

Cracks are beginning to show in Welsh councils as many have failed to implement appropriate budgetary plans, auditors have warned. Read more >>>