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The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is mulling the possibility of splitting up a planned £6.6bn programme to maintain and improve service family accommodation. Plans from the Ministry of Defence body cover responsive repairs, property refurbishment, management of a capital investment regeneration programme, statutory compliance services and grounds maintenance for service family accommodation. The DIO said in a market engagement notice that it was considering breaking the programme into multiple contracts, specifically by separating planned works from repairs and maintenance. Feedback from suppliers will help shape the procurement strategy, contract structure and tender documentation before the competition is launched, it added. Interested contractors are being sought with experience of delivering repair and maintenance services for public sector landlords and a strong focus on customer service and safety. Suppliers wishing to participate must provide details of their organisation, relevant experience and areas of interest before completing the questionnaire. The DIO expects to begin the procurement in January 2027, with publication of the tender notice anticipated in early 2027.

# Consultancies merge in bid for growth. A specialist procurement and bid writing group has been launched following the merger of two established consultancies, creating what is claimed to be the UK’s largest dedicated bid writing business. Procurement Growth Group brings together Bolton-headquartered Thornton & Lowe and North East-based Executive Compass, combining specialist expertise in bid writing, tendering, procurement consultancy and bid software. Under the new structure, Thornton & Lowe founder Dave Thornton becomes group chief executive, while Executive Compass founder Neil Capstick takes on the role of group strategy director. “Bringing these businesses together is part of the group’s highly ambitious plans, and people should watch this space. “We are staying focused on procurement, tendering and business growth, and we will be driving hard to build on the strength, talent and reputation across the group. Christian added: “This is an exciting moment for our people, our clients and the wider bid writing and tendering market.

***BearingPoint has announced the appointment of 14 new Partners, reinforcing its growth strategy as it continues to expand its business across markets and industry segments in the years ahead.***. “Empowering people and developing the next generation of leaders is a core part of who we are and a key element of our values and Strategy 2030,” said Matthias Loebich, Managing Partner of BearingPoint. “Our new Partners are known for their excellent leadership, deep expertise, and strong commitment to our clients, our teams, our purpose, and the values of our firm. Commenting on the appointment: “As a Partner in our Enterprise SAP Transformation practice, I focus on delivering tangible value through complex, large-scale international transformation programs, while strengthening our footprint in the consumer goods, food and life sciences sectors. Commenting on the appointment: “In my role as Partner, I am committed to actively driving the growth of our Sourcing & Procurement practice and shaping the next generation of procurement.

## The Scottish Government has stepped up delivery of its long-term homelessness strategy, confirming that the rollout of a £50 million Homelessness Prevention Fund is now underway just 50 days into its first 100 days in office. At the heart of the initiative is a renewed focus on early intervention – shifting the system away from crisis response and towards stopping homelessness before it starts. As part of this effort, £1 million has been allocated for a second year to help social landlords and third sector organisations support tenants at risk of losing their homes. By embedding prevention across sectors, from housing providers to frontline public services, the government aims to create a more resilient system that identifies and addresses risk factors earlier. In partnership with our community of public sector leaders responsible for procurement and strategy across local authorities and the wider public sector, we’ve devised a collaborative calendar of conferences and events for leaders of industry to listen, learn and collaborate through engaging and immersive conversation.

Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals Learn more about Refinitiv. ## Browse World. ## Browse Business. Image 1: VivaTech conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris. Item 1 of 2 A logo on the SAP exhibition space at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France June 15, 2022. **[1/2]**A logo on the SAP exhibition space at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France June 15, 2022. BRUSSELS, July 9 (Reuters) - SAP (SAPG.DE), opens new tab, Europe's largest software maker, will ​make it easier for its customers to switch to ‌rival service providers or end their contracts, EU antitrust regulators said on Thursday as part of concessions aimed at staving off ​a possible fine. * Media Center, opens new tab. * Reuters and AI, opens new tab.

## Gov staff turn down tech vendor "gifts" in large numbers ## Vocus positions for role in Meta's Project Waterworth ## Gov commits to digitised traveller arrivals form ## State of Security 2026: Application Security ## How Monash University is tackling the AI-driven app security gap. # Gov staff turn down tech vendor "gifts" in large numbers. Federal government staff largely turned down “gifts” from nine of the largest IT vendors in the year to March 2026, an analysis by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) shows. The gifts were made leading up to the award of a CRM deal and as “extensive contract variations” were made. Overall, 3662 offers of “gifts and benefits” were made, of which 539 - or 15 percent - were accepted and the remaining 3123 were declined. Other vendors either only made offers in the small single-digits across the year, or - in the case of Rimini Street and Salesforce - made no offers at all.

***Boston Consulting Group, one of the world’s leading strategy and management consultancies, has significantly expanded its leadership team in the DACH region with the appointment of 15 new partners.***. Appointed as Managing Directors and Partners, the new leaders work across the firm’s offices in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH) and operate across Boston Consulting Group’s functional practices and industry verticals. Expertise: railway, logistics and infrastructure with a focus on strategy and transformation. Expertise: financial services sector with a focus on strategy and transformation. Expertise: strategy, performance and transformation programs in the industrial goods sector. Expertise: strategy and transformations in telecom with a focus on B2C and B2B growth as well as digital and AI. Expertise: transformations with a focus on the automotive industry. Expertise: procurement and cost transformations in the industrial goods sector. Expertise: transformations in private equity portfolio companies with a focus on the consumer goods industry. Expertise: AI transformations in sales and customer service with a focus on technology, media and telecom companies.

# SLB OneSubsea to deliver subsea production systems for Eni's Baleine Phase 3. (WO) — **SLB** announced that its **OneSubsea** joint venture has been awarded a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract by **Eni** for Phase 3 of the deepwater **Baleine development** offshore Côte d'Ivoire. Under the contract, SLB OneSubsea will supply a complete subsea production system (SPS) for 13 wells, supporting the next phase of one of West Africa's largest offshore oil and gas developments. "Through our subsea production system technology and by leveraging our established local presence, we are supporting Eni's efforts to advance a complex deepwater project efficiently while contributing to the long-term development of offshore resources in Côte d'Ivoire.". SLB OneSubsea said the project will be executed through its established in-country organization and local supply chain, supporting delivery throughout the life of the development. Phase 3 is expected to further increase production as Eni continues development of the deepwater asset.