Best Value Procurement Bids in Council Services

Best Value Procurement Bids in Council Services Empirical Work This paper is an empirical study on the strategic significance that Best Value (BV) Procurement adds to Birmingham City Council. The aim of the proposed research is to quantify the strategic link between the BV and the contemporary strategic Procurement. Then to create a model which will evaluate the contribution of the strategy when applied to Birmingham City Council. Best Value was introduced into the public sector in 1998, announced through the government’s white paper â€Å"Modern Local Government in Touch with the People†. This paper introduced extensive reform of local government, including the new initiative of BV. Within this BV is the e-Government, Community Planning, Strategic Partnerships and new political management structures (White Paper 1998). The theory of Best Value was aimed at improving local government services; this was introduced in the Local Government Act 1999. BV replaced the old system of Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT), and required local authorities to review over a period of five years, the method in which they conduct all their functions. This would take the form of consultation with the local community to deliver the most effective, economic and efficient services (Local Government Act 1999). The Governments intention to reform local government continued and in 2001 they published a further white paper entitled â€Å"Strong Local Leadership, Quality Public Services†. Addressed within this paper were issues that included strong community leadership, continuous improvement, comprehensive performance assessment, financial freedom and modernisation of finance systems (White Paper 2001). The report in 2001 Delivering Better Services for Citizens, a review of local government procurement in England was published as a consultation paper. The report included the following recommendation; there should be clear political responsibility for procurement, with elected members taking a strategic role in securing outcomes. Best Value is about breaking down the boundaries between the public and private sectors in local service delivery. (The Byatt Report 2001) This research paper is based on the government white papers and reports which initially defined BV in procurement and established Strategic Management tools used to identify strategic choice within local authorities. The conceptual analysis is based on identifying the congruence of strategic links between the BV definition and chosen Strategic Management tools. The focus of the paper is Birmingham City Council’s BV practices, and this will be measured against the resulting model. The output of this research is to measure the strategic worth of Best Value and the strategic worth of Birmingham City Council’s delivery of Best Value. The paper will evaluate the relative merits of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.    Methodology The rationale of this chapter is to compare and discuss the researc h methods that could be used for this empirical research paper. When researching any paper there are numerous methods for collecting data, they do not always produce workable data that is easy to analysis. Therefore it is vital to review and plan the methods that will be employed. Before beginning any of the research a time scale will be composed, this will plan and set targets for the research. This plan is flexible, to allow for any considerable changes to the project due to unexpected research findings. Theoretically, the proposal should draw attention to any difficulties with the research question and the access to the data.

Bearing Capacity of Soils Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bearing Capacity of Soils - Lab Report Example If this is not properly done, then the structures are likely to collapse, resulting in massive catastrophes. Sound engineering principles should be employed in the design of such structures in order to avoid potential loses in human life and property (William Powrie 53).   There are two major types of foundations; shallow and deep. While shallow foundations are located just below the structures they support, deep foundations extend deep into the earth’s crust. Shallow foundations are thus also called footings or mats, whereas deep foundations can also be called piles, or drilled shafts (Braja M. Das 123). The type of foundation used depends on two factors; the size of the structure to be built, and the category of soil on which the structure is to be built. Big structures require bigger foundations than smaller structures. On the other hand, organic soils also require bigger foundations compared to cohesive soils.Problem Description1.  Calculate the required size for a bui lding column footing under a given load.2.  Determine the effect of varying water contents on the compressive strength of the soil.Procedure  The lab was conducted following the following procedure:1.  A test specimen with known percentage of water was selected. The group used soil with 15% water content. This specimen was created by mixing 22.5 grams of water with 127.5 grams of dry clay.2.  The next step involved filling the mold with the soil-water mixture in three equal layers using the tamping device. The top of the first and second layers.

3 marketing strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

3 marketing strategies - Essay Example The market follower strategy makes the new entrant follow the existing technologies or products to maintain its own market share playing the role of counterfeit, cloner, imitator or adaptor. The third major launch strategy is the nichemanship where the new entrants target a small market segment and try to meet the needs of a certain group of customers offering premium price with specialization in the field. Emaar Group of Saudi Arabia entering the hotel business is an example of the market challenge strategy of business launch. Emaar Group is an established brand in the real estate sector in the country. Their offerings include houses, schools, healthcare centres and many more to which they are going to add â€Å"The Address Hotels and Resorts†, their five star premium global brand of leisure and hospitality. The hospitality sector is already a much flourished sector in the Saudi Arabia dominated by Jumeirah’s rep the leading hotel brand in the country. The fast and aggressive strategy of the Emaar Hospitality Group taking control over both business and leisure tourists through its sub brands including Resort, Retreat, Urban and Business with the help of its around 100 newly recruited hotel staff has threatened the business of Jumeirah’s rep. With this aggressive market challenge and attack strategy of launch the Emaar Group expects to control the hospitality marke t in the Middle East, North Africa, Indian Subcontinent, Asia, Europe and America in the next 10 years to come (Anon. â€Å"Joined up†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 2008). E-banking is not a new concept in the banking services when the Samba Financial Group started its business in the Saudi Arabia in 1980 taking over two existing branches of Citibank in the country. Since the beginning it initiated core banking system in its branches following the technology used by the Citibank and customizing it to fit