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Overview This article explores the concept of Competitively Appointed Transmission Owners (‘CATOs’), their regulatory framework and role in enhancing onshore transmission infrastructure through competition. It will also look into the potential benefits, risks, associated developments and draw comparisons with the use of offshore transmission owners. With already high levels of demand on the grid and…

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Bus franchising is a model for providing bus services where local authorities have the power to determine the details of the services being provided, including where they run, when they run and the standards of the service. Usually, this will involve the local authority letting an appropriate contract to a bus operator who will provide…

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Recent reports, such as that published by Middlesbrough Council earlier this year exploring their value for money arrangements, have outlined how some local authorities have struggled to secure economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the use of resources. With several high-profile section 114 notices also being issued by authorities including Birmingham City Council in late 2023,…

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There are several subsidy mechanisms available to the UK Government, as outlined below, that are designed to address various barriers to investment and innovation in the manufacturing sector. These are able to provide both direct or indirect support to enhance competitiveness and drive technological processes and should be means the UK Government is considering soon….

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On the 13th of May, the Government Commercial Function published a new National Procurement Policy Statement (the ‘NPPS’) which sets out the strategic priorities for public procurement and how contracting authorities (‘CAs’) can support their delivery. The NPPS is a statutory statement which will come into effect/’go live’ on the 28th of October 2024 alongside…

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Background and current context On 22 May 2024 the Procurement Regulations 2024 (the ‘2024 Regulations’) were made, but the majority of the provisions do not come into force until the Procurement Act 2023 (the ‘2023 Act’) substantively commences. This is necessarily the case because the 2024 Regulations implement various aspects and details from the 2023…

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