All articles tagged with #public procurement
Chancellor John Healey will announce a 'new age of industrialisation' at the Labour conference, centering on a £6bn UK-only contract for three floating docks at Faslane. The move aims to boost domestic shipbuilding and defense capabilities, though critics question the funding source ahead of the October Budget.
The European Union is fractured over the definition of 'Made in Europe' within the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act, which aims to favor local industry in public contracts to counter Chinese competition. France demands a strict EU-only preference, while Germany advocates a broader 'Made with Europe' model including trading partners. Spain has proposed a three-tier compromise to bridge the divide, but legislative timelines are slipping, and the UK fears exclusion from the new rules.
EU industry officials back the Commission’s Industrial Accelerator Act as a hedge against a potential second wave of Chinese exports that could hit vital sectors like EVs, batteries, steel, chemicals and wind turbines. The act would curb Chinese investments in strategic areas and impose Made-in-EU rules for public procurement, with broad parliamentary support but ongoing questions in Berlin. If enacted, the IAA could become Europe’s main tool to shield industry while balancing ties with Beijing and addressing the EU’s growing trade deficit.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen warned that Europe’s reliance on foreign technology can be weaponized and urged greater tech sovereignty, advocating the use of public procurement to grow EU tech firms and a legislative package on cloud, AI, and chips. She stressed semiconductors as a pre-condition for other technologies, backed the Buy European approach, and pointed to the upcoming Industrial Accelerator Act while noting the U.S. remains an important partner amidst vulnerabilities from Covid and Russia’s invasion.
A Bellingham city staffer used ChatGPT to craft biased contract requirements favoring VertexOne over other vendors, raising concerns about AI's role in public procurement bias, prompting an independent investigation into the integrity of the city’s bidding process.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama appointed an AI-powered virtual assistant named Diella as a symbolic minister to combat corruption and improve transparency in public procurement, aiming to set an example and potentially influence government reform, despite mixed reactions and concerns about its constitutional validity.