Procurement is a necessary process that involves an organisation acquiring services from an external source, in a structured and accountable way. Limited or open procurement is a common method for obtaining consultancy or other services throughout the world. When a tendering process is initiated it should allow a fair and confidential opportunity for bidders to… Continue reading The (Dark) Art of Procurement
Category: Public
Cleaning up high energy appliances in Europe
An intriguing piece of European Union legislation came into force earlier this week which will affect every home across Europe. From 1st September 2014, it now illegal to manufacture or import vacuum cleaners into the European Union which are above 1600 watts in power. The new EU directive is targeting high power appliances which are… Continue reading Cleaning up high energy appliances in Europe
Weirdest Hotel Requests And Complaints
Even though good customer service is one of the main conditions for success in any business, it is particularly important in the hotel industry where guests are looking to staff to help them make their stay as relaxing and comfortable as possible. And staff in hotels all over the world really does go out of… Continue reading Weirdest Hotel Requests And Complaints
Public consultation on EU Urban Agenda and the Integrated Territorial Investment platform
Public consultation is a regulatory process by which the public’s input on matters affecting them is sought. Now a new EU public consultation has been announced, that ought to help all great cities of the European Union in preparing the necessary Integrated Territorial Investment platform. Following the news from a few days ago that the… Continue reading Public consultation on EU Urban Agenda and the Integrated Territorial Investment platform
EU legal fundaments all member states need to adopt before end of 2014
On July 14th, the European Commission released an update on the adoption of Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes. EU member states with PAs approved by the EC on June 20th include Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Cyprus, and Slovakia. Up until now, the EC has approved 9 out of 28 PAs. The ones that have already been… Continue reading EU legal fundaments all member states need to adopt before end of 2014
New French trains are “too large”
A news article caught my eye this morning which demonstrates how easily a project can go badly wrong, and the financial consequences of rectifying the problem. France’s national railway operator SNCF recently ordered 2,000 new TER (Trains Express Regionaux) trains from Alstom and Bombardier, as part of a £2.43bn national upgrade. Responding to customer demands… Continue reading New French trains are “too large”
Visit Östergötland Place Management Development Workshop
In partnership with East Sweden Business Region (ESBR) and Visit Östergötland, Bearing held a Place Management development seminar and workshop on the 20th November at the beautiful Hemslöjden building in Linköping, Sweden. This seminar was one in a series of four where the goal is to prepare the regions’ tourism and hospitality industry for the… Continue reading Visit Östergötland Place Management Development Workshop
Quad Helix in practice in Grythyttan
Introduction In a previous post on this blog, Jörgen Eriksson and I introduced the Quad Helix model. It is a conceptual model which we have developed in Bearing to explain successful cooperation of government, academia, business and the civil sector for place management and place development, and also introducing the importance of “talents”. In our… Continue reading Quad Helix in practice in Grythyttan
Innovation driven local and regional growth
Innovation as driver for business development and growth is undisputable. Why shouldn’t it also be a fundamental key to development of societal prosperity? Of course it is! The mechanisms of innovation are as valid and adaptable to public sector development as it is to the private business life. Then, what does development by innovation mean?… Continue reading Innovation driven local and regional growth
The new Cathedrals
In ancient past, it was under the baobab tree, around the fireplace, or by the warmest room in the cave. In Athens it was the agora, the main square. In the days of ancient Rome it was the Forum or the baths. During the dark ages it was the markets, guilds and bazaars. In medieval… Continue reading The new Cathedrals