All articles tagged with #government procurement
Despite a federal ban on new contracts, KPMG received AUD$38.5 million from the Australian government through pre-existing amendments and finalized deals. The Department of Defence accounted for the majority of this sum, while the firm continues to face leadership changes and job cuts amid ethics investigations.
After Canada imposed tariffs on about $20 billion of U.S. exports, President Trump threatened to remove Canadian products from U.S. government procurement programs, directing the GSA and USTR to act; the move intensifies a growing trade dispute that has included prior Bombardier warnings and followed a breakdown in talks, with Prime Minister Carney urging a mutually beneficial deal.
OpenAI has updated a Pentagon-related agreement that was criticized as opportunistic and sloppy, signaling a reassessment of contract terms and scope.
The Trump administration is urging federal agencies to cancel remaining contracts with Harvard University, following the cancellation of over $2.6 billion in research grants, as part of a broader effort to review and potentially cut university contracts amid policy disputes.
Tom Hayhoe, the newly appointed Covid corruption commissioner, has begun investigating PPE fraud, focusing on £8.7bn of PPE written off during the pandemic. He aims to recover public funds lost to fraud and underperforming contracts, with support from Chancellor Rachel Reeves. The National Crime Agency is also probing potential criminal activities in PPE procurement. Hayhoe's one-year term will culminate in a report with recommendations for future government procurement. The investigation includes scrutiny of the 'VIP lane' contracts, such as those awarded to PPE Medpro.
Fujitsu, the supplier of the controversial Horizon accounting system to the Post Office, has won billions in government contracts despite its involvement in a scandal that led to wrongful convictions and suicides. The government's reliance on large IT contractors like Fujitsu is highlighted, with concerns raised about the lack of technical and commercial skills within government bodies to effectively manage these contracts. Calls for a moratorium on new contracts for Fujitsu have been made, but the issue extends beyond just one supplier, revealing systemic challenges in government IT procurement and management.