The government has released its latest set of guidance papers for suppliers who supply goods or services to the public sector via the Crown Commercial Service

The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is in place to make sure that small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) have access to government contract opportunities, making it easier for them to do business with government, and making sure that 25 per cent of government’s spend, either directly or in supply chains, goes to SMEs by 2015.
    
Additionally, CCS makes sure that departments publish details of future projects and contracts on the Contracts Finder website every six months, giving businesses the confidence and time to invest in relevant skills, labour and capabilities to win these contracts. It works to obtain simpler, more flexible EU procurement rules in Brussels to support economic growth by making the procurement process faster, less costly, more effective for both business and procurers; this will affect more than £45 billion of central government spend (more than £230 billion for the UK public sector) every year. This will help commissioners of public services to become more effective through the Commissioning Academy and use commercial intelligence more effectively to improve the value gained from contracts across government.
    
As a guide for suppliers and buyers there is a standard set of terms and conditions for framework agreements and call-off contracts for goods and services bought under the agreement. The template for call-off contracts forms the basis of the terms and conditions in individual further competitions and can be supplemented or refined with additional terms to suit the requirement.
    
All CCS suppliers must submit monthly management information (MI) returns. This is done online through the MISO system. You will need to include the unique reference number (URN) for each customer listed on the return. Failure to submit MI returns correctly or within the agreed timescales may incur admin fees.
    
CCS is updating its internal Customer Relationship Management system and as a result the weekly downloadable list of URNs will be changing. The existing sheet of four tabs will reduce to three, listing all live URNs with customer details, a second detailing merges and a third detailing name changes. Legacy tabs will be added for the time being showing older changes that are not present on the new system. The sub-sector is now known as organisation type and is being updated to better and more accurately describe the organisation within its sector.

Lord Young recommendations
In February this year, a report by the Prime Minister’s Enterprise Advisor Lord Young outlined a set of new reforms that will give smaller companies more opportunities to win government contracts. The report, which was five years in the making, analysed the developing nature of business since Lord Young’s appointment as Enterprise Advisor in October 2011.
    
A stand out feature of the report was the government’s plan to abolish Pre‑Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs) for all low value contracts, and to standardise these for contracts above the EU threshold. This represented a change to the previous system, whereby small businesses often lacked the resources that were made available to larger firms, making it harder for them to compete in the public sector.
    
The proposed changes came into place in April. Lord Young said: “PQQs have been found to be onerous by small businesses, often imposing more than 40 pages of questions before they can be considered for bidding for a contract.”
    
The report also detailed a ‘golden age’ for small businesses, commenting on how a record number of said small businesses now operate in the UK. Since 2010, the amount of small firms has increased by 760,000, and now numbers 5.2 million. This has boosted employment levels, with 48 per cent of private sector employees now operating in small firms.
    
The report stated how obstacles which previously prevented small firms from initiating a business were slowly falling away – in part due to the growing influence of new technologies, particularly the proliferation mobile and digital devices to further business prospects.
    
Lord Young was quoted: “In the last five years I have met countless numbers of inspiring entrepreneurs and small firms – from all ages and backgrounds and all reporting that starting a business is the most exciting and challenging thing they have ever done.”
    
The findings of the report were hailed by David Cameron, who stated: “Lord Young has made a huge contribution as my Enterprise Advisor, with his reports driving home the importance of getting things right for small businesses and start-ups.”

NHS Agreement
CCS has signed an agreement to help the NHS meet their non-medical, non-clinical temporary and fixed term worker needs in a flexible, efficient way. The new agreement has been developed to provide the NHS and other public sector organisations with access to temporary and fixed term staff in white and blue collar roles from the most junior to the most senior, including board level roles.
    
The agreement has been specifically developed to help manage the legal and commercial risks associated with engaging temporary staff, with suppliers required to ensure compliance with NHS Employers Employment Check Standards. The agreement has been awarded to 176 suppliers, 83 per cent of which are small and medium businesses. In 2014/15 the CCS helped save the NHS in excess of £343 million and this new agreement is one of a number of initiatives designed to help the NHS make further savings.

Potential Savings
Meanwhile, Sally Collier, chief executive of the Crown Commercial services, has publicly said that the public sector could save up to 25 per cent through better supplier management. Collier based the claim around possible savings via improved procurement and supplier innovation and management.
    
Speaking at the Public Sector Show in London, Collier said: “There is no reason why suppliers can’t make a healthy profit. What we have to agree is what the optimum profit is in any deal. I accept we may not be an intelligent client but we are getting better at being an intelligent client.” Collier also commented on how the CCS was reducing the number of frameworks used to channel a percentage of the £230 billion spent on goods and services across the public sector each year.
    
She said: “Framework agreements are great when they are great but not when they are used inappropriately and don’t produce the best outcome. For many, if you are a young fast streamer you perhaps wanted to be in the diplomatic service or other departments.
    
“I am absolutely delighted to say the tide is turning. For the first time we have a commercial fast stream. We see people who want to come into commercial. Where else could you do something exciting with £15 billion? I’m not interested in buying tanks and trains: I’m interested in taking the pain away of buying and managing common goods and services.”

Former CIA employee-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden is confirmed as a keynote speaker at IP EXPO Europe 2015, which takes place on October 7th at the ExCeL Centre, London.

Snowden will speak to the audience live by satellite from an undisclosed location (believed to be somewhere in Russia) and interviewed on stage by journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil.

In 2013, Snowden leaked large number of classified National Security Agency documents to journalists and is wanted by the US Department of Justice to face charges including two counts of violating the Espionage Act and theft of government property.

Snowden’s disclosures have fuelled debates over mass surveillance, government secrecy, and the balance between national security and information privacy.

Construction company creditors set for £29m hit

Unsecured creditors of a South East-based construction business look set to miss out on more than £29m following the company's collapse.

Lee Manning and Matt Smith of business advisory firm Deloitte were appointed as joint administrators of Longcross Construction on 16 June 2015 and subsequently Longcross Group on 29 June.

Longcross Construction, which reported turnover of £190m in its 2014 financial year, was the largest company in the group. It provided construction management services from offices in London, Sidcup, Surrey, Oxford, Birmingham and Sheffield and employed about 140 staff.

Longcross Group's engineering divisions - LX Engineering (North) Ltd, LX Engineering (South) Ltd and Longcross Fire and Security Ltd - are unaffected by the administration.

New documents seen by Insider have revealed that unsecured creditors of Longcross Construction are expected to suffer a shortfall of more than £29m, while secured creditors are expected to be paid in full.

The report to creditors has also shed light on the lead-up to the company's collapse.

A substantial proportion Longcross Construction's client base was historically made up of national grocery retailers, including Tesco and Sainsbury's.

However, in the last 18 to 24 months, the business sought to diversify its client base into sectors such as academia, residential developers and hospitals.

But the company began to suffer from financial losses on both ongoing and previously completed projects.

Prior to Longcross Construction entering administration, its directors entered into discussions with potential lenders to seek new finance for the company, but were ultimately unable to secure sufficient funding.

In addition to the deteriorating cash position, two winding-up petitions were filed against the company in June 2015.

Unilever's Advanced Manufacturing Centre set for go-ahead

Plans to build an Advanced Manufacturing Centre that would allow scientists and engineers to test new ideas for personal care and homecare products at Unilever's Port Sunlight complex look set to be given the go-ahead.

The £24m scheme, which has secured backing from the government's Regional Growth Fund (RGF), will test new and "transformational" technologies.

Wirral Council's planning meeting is due to consider Unilever's full planning application for the erection of an Advanced Manufacturing Centre that will form part of its current R&D facility on Quarry Road East in Bebington on Thursday (20 August 2015).

The proposed development would feature ground- and first-floor offices, conference facilities, warehousing and a pilot plant chamber enabling scientists and engineers to test new ideas during product development up to factory scale for personal care and home products.

The scheme would provide 80,729 sq ft of new floor space. The proposed building would lie to the west of the existing MTC building, with the pair being linked by a new bridge.

The majority of the site earmarked for development is currently used for staff parking. However, the overall parking provision across the site is expected to remain the same as present at 767 spaces.

Ahead of the meeting, a report prepared by the planning officer has recommended that councillors should approve the scheme.

It said: "The proposed development will promote sustainable communities and economic development via the creation of jobs and increase in economic output. The extension this building in this location will contribute to making the best use of resources and infrastructure."

In September 2014, Unilever unveiled plans to open the £24m facility at Port Sunlight in 2016. It said the centre, which would be boosted by £4m from the RGF, would be unique within Unilever globally.

Speaking at the time, Cameron Jones, Unilever Port Sunlight site leader, said: "Unilever has been in the manufacturing business for over 125 years and this is the next step on that exciting journey. The centre creates a step-change in our ability to bring truly innovative products to market faster."

The announcement was also hailed by then-Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Wirral Council leader Phil Davies.

Port Sunlight is the centre for Unilever's home care and personal care R&D team.

Following the tragic incident at Shoreham Airshow on Saturday, the Royal Air Forces Association, the event organisers and Brighton City Airport are continuing to work closely with the emergency services.

Our thoughts are with those who have been killed or injured, their families and friends and all those who have been affected by the events.

We would also like to pay tribute to the emergency services for their work at this distressing time.

Sussex Police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch have asked that anyone with photographs or video footage that may help with their investigations should send their contact details to shoreham.aircrash2015@sussex.pnn.police.uk. Do not send files, just contact details and information about the material you have.

All vehicles, irrespective of size are now able to leave the airport. Motorists are being asked to avoid the A27 in the Shoreham area while investigations into the crash continues.

The fourth in a series of agricultural surveys conducted by West Sussex and Gatwick-based chartered accountants, Carpenter Box, in conjunction with MHA, the UK-wide group of accountancy and business advisory firms, reveals that for the majority of farmers in the South there is less optimism about growth, which is unsurprising given the current dairy crisis and the falling lamb market.  The survey also suggested that succession planning has become even more of an issue than was the case a year ago.

The Agriculture Insight Survey was conducted at Cereals 2015 in June and compares this year’s findings with those of 2014. It takes into account the views of more than 150 farmers nationwide.

Key findings include:

• Fuelled perhaps by falling prices, optimism for growth in the region has fallen by 10% over the last 12 months. Despite this it remains high with 59% of those who responded expecting growth.
• Expansion is an aspiration for many, with 66% planning to increase their acreage compared to 59% in 2014.
• 72% of respondents in the south are concerned about succession planning, which is an increase of 7% over last year.

Alison Aggleton, Agricultural Tax Adviser at Carpenter Box, commented: “The survey has shown a remarkable degree of resilience or even optimism in the south, given the lower level of arable prices. Normally falling cereal prices tend to help livestock producers but we are currently seeing revenues falling in every sector.”

Aggleton added: “The reduction in the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) from £500,000 to £200,000 from January 2016 announced in the summer budget, (which of course took place after this survey), provides a much needed level of stability to plan capital expenditure and obtain immediate tax relief – although given the current concerns about cash flow farmers might be limited in maximising their use of the current higher level of the allowance by 31 December.”

“The prospects are for a late harvest this year and coupled with uncertainties over the timing of support payments, we are expecting cash flows to come under pressure. Lenders are well aware of this, but farmers should be consulting their accountants at an early stage, with a view to keeping bankers advised over the autumn, and above all avoiding surprises. It is always better to ask for a facility a couple of months before it is needed rather than the day the overdraft limit is breached.”

Farmers looking to expand are concerned about finding available and affordable land in the South East. The Carpenter Box Rural Business team are seeing increased diversification across the region as farmers look to grow their businesses in other ways and seek to manage the volatility experienced in their farming enterprises.  For those looking to increase their farm size or diversify their activities, planning for the future of the business is a growing worry for many.  Of the 72% who stated that succession planning was a concern, 16% explained that it was a ‘great concern’. 

Of those surveyed, a significant 75% would consult their accountant when making decisions about their business. Sound financial advice is essential – whether a farmer is planning to expand or looking to hand over the reins to the next generation. Aggleton advises: “Whilst diversification is commercially attractive, the nature, structure and size of such concerns should be carefully considered and monitored to ensure that the availability of tax reliefs are not unnecessarily jeopardised”.  The increases to Inheritance Tax allowance limits announced in the summer budget also make it more important than ever that Wills and succession plans are looked at now with some urgency.

Agricultural accountants are well placed to comment on both the practical and taxation aspects of the business, as well as provide an independent assessment of the business.

A FORMER seafront pub is being transformed into a bar & grill.

The Spy Glass Inn, in Marine Parade, Worthing, will become The Cow Shed once it is renovated.

The restaurant, which according to its Facebook page, loves ‘wonderful wines, awesome ales, brilliant burgers, luscious lagers and a nice sit down’ and is child and dog friendly, is currently recruiting.

Sharon Clarke, Worthing Town Centre Initiative manager, said: “The Spy Glass had some issues with its clientele and The Cow Shed is more of a food establishment.

“I think it’s certainly good for that area. It will bring people there sitting outside by the seafront which is a lovely thing.”

A global broker is in talks to buy Bristol-headquartered Jelf Group, the £83m-turnover provider of insurance, financial and employee benefit services.

The listed company confirmed that it has opened discussions with Marsh about a possible deal.

In a statement, it said talks were at an "early stage" and that there was "no certainty that any offer will ultimately be made for Jelf or as to the terms of any such offer".

Marsh, a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, employs more than 27,000 staff and operates in 130 countries worldwide.

It is required to submit a formal offer for Jelf no later than 16 September 2015.

Jelf, which is being advised by Fenchurch Advisory Partners, said it would issue a further statement when appropriate. Its market capitalisation is currently about £175m.

The group recently acquired Hertfordshire insurance broker Libra Insurance Services for an undisclosed sum.

Jelf reported turnover of £43.7m in its interim results for the six months to 31 March 2015, up on £39.3m in the same period of 2014.

Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, amortisation and exceptional costs (EBITDAE) also rose to £7.3m from £5.9m, while pre-tax profit increased from £2.3m to £2.8m.

• Flexible, multi-purpose spaces
• Free WiFi throughout
• Top-of-the-range, audio visual equipment
• On-site catering options
• Ample on-site parking

Do make sure that you get your nominations in for The Adur & Worthing Business Awards 2015.

The Deadline is 23rd September 2015, so make sure to get voting!

Please visit : http://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/adur-and-worthing-business-awards/ for all the details