Public Spend Forum – Public Procurement and coronavirus news from this week

Public Spend Forum (PSF) is a public sector procurement global community and market intelligence platform dedicated to improving public procurement. GovShop is its free-to-use government market research tool for finding and connecting with suppliers.

FDA Approved Suppliers of COVID-19 Testing Kits

GovShop – the PSF place for government buyers and suppliers internationally to find each other – has catalogued more than 350 suppliers and is continually updating the list of suppliers that have been authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide Covid-19 testing kits. Specifically, the research team along with machine algorithms have been working hard to create and maintain multiple lists including: FDA-EUA Authorized Testing Kits, over 300 Globally approved Covid-19 Tests and suppliers of Test Swabs for Testing Kits. Read more here.

Locked on Target

Dustin Lanier writes for Public Spend Forum: public organizations have begun defining their path to operations where our current response efforts are not temporary but have to be integrated and sustained. This requires the ability to take the long view – sustaining the current intensity of support for front line needs while integrating that effort with the whole mission of the organization. Several current factors call for this focus on balanced and effective operations, read them here.

And in other news ...

Covid-19: lessons from Italy on public-private healthcare procurement

Covid-19 spearheads digital transformation in the public sector

New tracker highlights the issue of SME late payment across the UK and Europe during Covid-19

A drone service for delivering urgent medical supplies is being trialled on the Isle of Wight in response to the Covid-19 outbreak

Outsourcing group Interserve has been left reeling from a cyber attack earlier this month as criminals target construction firms involved in the UK’s coronavirus response

UK Treasury to step in and guarantee trade credit insurance agreements as thousands of businesses struggle to pay their bills amid the coronavirus pandemic

UK MOD’s ‘poor contracting’ caused £1.35bn nuclear project overrun

DfT explains how trip data is collected for Covid-19 updates

UK Cabinet Office publishes contract management guidance entreating all parties to act “reasonably” in managing Covid-19 issues

Xpress project launches online tools for searching tenders related to renewable energy sources