CIPS scores a masterful coup with Borgen procurement training video

I was really disappointed when I heard, last year, that Borgen, the Danish political drama, had finished. Borgen had been some of the best TV I'd seen - compelling viewing and impossible to predict what would happen next.

Borgen was a great example of a successful BBC make/buy appraisal. Auntie just doesn't seem able to produce such a consistently high quality series', so it was a clever to buy from Denmark rather than even attempt to compete by making.

We have all had enough long-running TV series' constructed around regional accents and although I generally have problems with sub-titles that wasn't a problem I had with Borgen. Would it be worth experimenting with subtitles on Eastenders, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks to see if they become more compelling viewing?

Borgen must also have been a tremendous success for the Danish tourist board. I suspect their marketing research now finds that when someone now asks: "What comes to mind when you think of the word 'Danish'?", responses have now moved beyond Danepak, Carlsberg, and pastry to include Borgen. That's a big success and is believed to contribute to the 0.23% increase in the Copenhagen tourist footfall.

So beyond make/buy lessons, what's all that got to do with procurement? As a stroke of genius, CIPS and CCS have entered into a partnership with DUPE (the Danish Unification for Public Procurement Eccord) in commissioning a public procurement training video for politicians based on Borgen. As I understand it, Borgen's central character, Birgitte Nyborg, finds herself faced with calls for her resignation as a result of a scandal involving the CPO and the Danish Chief Secretary to the Treasury. CIPS' press release states that "the video helps demonstrate the need for a clarity of roles between politicians and officers". CIPS also claim that this is a central part of their marketing strategy and is the first of a range of procurement resources using of subtitles due to ease of being able to provide translations. Consistent with that strategy, DUPE have priced for the first and second phases of translations. The first phase of translations are targeted for Belize, Botswana, Kenya, Fiji, Jordan, and Namibia; and the second phase translated for Mauritius, Malta, Nigeria, and the Philippines. It is understood that a recommendation for Cyrillic is being considered by CIPS Congress as part of a wider package of translation of all CIPS resources on public procurement and piloting of CIPS Licence.

EU, Brazil & Russia public procurement treaty: A folly

Today the Public Procurement Treaty between Russia and Brazil, and the EU comes into force although it appears procurement managers are poorly prepared.

The tripartite agreement has gained little attention in either the mainstream or procurement press. Negotiations were personally led by EU President, Herman van Rumpuy. The 'Rumpuy van', as it have become known, was signed this time last year. Initially viewed as an innovative response to the global financial crisis through easing access to Brazilian and Russian public procurement contracts, it now seems to be riddled with flaws and likely to backfire. UK Procurement Policy wonks failed to realise that UK public procurement managers will now be required, under law, to accept bids in the native languages of both Russia and Brazil. The associated costs of translation and delays in procurement processes now look crazy. The very thought of reading Cyrillic is beyond me, let alone the need respond to points of clarification and debriefing in the native tongues.

Portugal have long standing treaties with Brazil and will face least disruption, but even Portuguese is not the easiest language to master for those of us who have been able to previously require bids to be submitted in English.  At least the Russians have taken the steps to understand UK procurement through the work of the Transeuropean Centre for Commerce and Finance. CIPS on the other had haven't even briefed their members on the implications and there appears to be no guidance on the Cabinet Office website. In the absence of more explicit guidance the most reliable source is the EU interpretative note and associated training video.  Alternatively you can read the Law Society's 'Idiots Guide' for CPOs.

To me the whole thing is destined to fail and looks remarkably foolish, but then it is that time of year.

P.S. No need to panic - this was an April Fool.

NHS procurement didn't consider wider environmental impact

You may recall that in 1992 a container holding 28,000 plastic toys, en route from China, went overboard. Since that time there have been sightings of the washed up 'ducks' all over the world. Indeed Donovan Hohn wrote a book entitled 'Moby-Duck' on the 'duck chaser' phenomena.

However, the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee's recent report, 'All washed up', has now highlighted that the true owners of the plastic toys are the NHS; the NHS are responsible for environmental costs incurred. The EAC investigation was concerned with the adverse environmental impact and the fact that a number of dead Cotton Tailed Seals had recently been washed up on Scottish shores. Each of the seals had died having choked on plastic toys.

The connection with the NHS procurement was only established during the seal post-mortems when it was discovered  that each of the plastic ducks were stamped 'Property of NHS'. Like me, I suspect you were unaware that a framework arrangement was in place for plastic toys and didn't give a second thought  to how toys, in general, appear in children's hospitals the length and breadth of the country.