Framework for Structuring Procurement Contracts

The aim of this paper is to propose a new framework for structuring contract types and payment methods. Concerning procurement contracts, the first important new feature of this framework is a stepwise structure with three main steps in the contract design: (1) what will be procured—should the contract only include construction, or should it include both construction and operation/maintenance (2) who will do the detailed design of the premise and (3) how many contractors will the client use? The second important new feature of this framework is that both step 2 and step 3 include a continuum of alternatives. Concerning payment methods, the new framework is primarily based on how the specific risks of the project are shared. These frameworks can be useful for policy formulation in that they can help to avoid some problematic ways of formulating policies

Växande växtmarknad

Marknaden för blommor och växter uppvisade höga tillväxtsiffror under 2000-talets första år. I denna rapport beskrivs utvecklingen med fokus på odling och försäljning i Skåne. Övergripande frågeställning har varit hur denna bransch klarar sig i konkurrensen och målet att ge en bred beskrivning över utvecklingen i odlings-. detaljist- och konsumentledet. Värdet av den svenska produktionen av krukväxter och utplanteringsväxter uppgick 2006 till drygt 600 miljoner kronor, en siffra som varit relativt oförändrad sedan 1995. Samtidigt har värdet av importen ökat kraftigt. I Sverige produceras 40-50 miljoner krukväxter per år. Produktionen visar en svagt minskande trend i ett tioårsperspektiv med en liten ökning vid den senaste mätningen, 2008. Den skånska krukväxtproduktionen är mer framgångsrik än odlingen av utplanteringsväxter. Detaljistledets aktörer blir allt större och företagen visar på ökande omsättning. I ett urval av tio försäljningsställen genomfördes en butiksinventering där prisnivån mättes genom att priserna i en för årstiden representativ varukorg jämfördes. Dyrast krukväxter fanns hos marknadsledaren Plantagen, och de billigaste hos Bauhaus och Coop Forum. Undersökningen visade också att ursprungsmärkning och varumärken var sällsynta. Odlarna har svårt att nå ut med någon profilering till konsument. Data över konsumtionen är bristfälliga men värdet anges till 9-10 miljarder. Data från SCB visar en stadig värdeökning fram till 2006, med 25 procent under fyra år. Uppgifter från tidningen Market visar plus 18 procent 2002 till 2006 och fortsatt värdeökningen (+ 3 %) 2007 men denna bröts 2008, då konsumtionsvärdet minskade med en halv procent. Konsumtionsdata från GfK visar på variationer mellan dessa år men i stort sett oförändrade värden 2006 till 2009. Skillnaderna mellan de olika källorna för värdets utveckling beror troligtvis på att man mäter olika saker; i SCB och Market mäts inte bara snittblommor och krukväxter utan även till exempel plantskoleväxter, jord och liknande. Strukturomvandlingen, nyetableringarna och koncentrationen i detaljistledet riskerar medföra minskad förhandlingsstyrka för de skånska odlarna, men de stora aktörerna kan också stärka växtintresset från konsumenternas sida. Producenterna bör se upp så att man inte missar utvecklingen i gardencenterbranschen och detta ökade intresse. Risken finns att man blir fast i mitten; inte tillräckligt stora för att konkurrera med ökad import till låga priser och inte tillräckligt specialiserade på ett unikt sortiment. Abstract This report is the result of a project titled Growing plants market, financed by the foundation Sparbanksstiftelsen Skåne. The project has run parallel to the program for growth in Swedish horticulture (Tillväxt Trädgård http://www.tillvaxtprogram.slu.se ) which deals with all horticultural products. The focus here has been on pot plants and annual bedding plants produced in the southern region, Skåne, which is a horticultural cluster in Sweden. The descriptions and discussions are made within the strategic frameworks of Michael Porter. The annual domestic production consists of some 40 to 50 Million pot plants and the same amount of bedding plants, at a total value of around SEK 600 Millions (€ 60 millions). Imports are increasing and gaining markets shares. The producers in Skåne are more successful on the pot plant market than on the market for bedding plants. Bulbs in pots are increasing while cut flowers show decreasing figures, with the exception of tulips - a product for which the southern region holds no more than fifteen percent of total domestic production. The retail sector is going through fast structural changes with fewer and larger firms. The two largest garden centre companies Plantagen and Blomsterlandet, each with a turnover of more than SEK 1,000 Million in 2008, are expanding. Independent retailers are forming new coalitions. Observation of prices and assortments in ten retail units showed big differences in price of similar plants and showed that the market leader Plantagen had the highest price level, in spite of a marketing image of good low price products. The origin of the pot plants was not easily detected and the garden centres did not display origin or brands to any large extent. The local growers have thus not succeeded in profiling their products to the consumers. Consumption data are scarce and incoherent, but the total value of plants, cut flowers, pots and the like amounts to around SEK 9,000 to 10,000 Millions. The market increased by 18 to 25 per cent 2002 to 2006 (depending on the database used). The latest figures show a further rise 2007 and then a slight fall in 2008. Data from GfK on consumer level show no considerable changes between 2006 and 2009 in purchase of plants and flowers. Case studies of eight firms showed that the 2009 season was good in spite of the recession. The growth in sales from large firms may consist of other garden equipment. The gardens centres sell a full range of products and the smaller ones compete by means of special plants, inspiring shops and more services, while the supermarkets have a much narrower assortment. Structural changes and a higher degree of market concentration, with new actors, owners and capital, may lead to less bargaining power of the growers and their main sales organisation Mäster Grön, but the big outlets could also help enhance the interest of the consumers. This development must be taken advantage of by the local growers, who otherwise risk being stuck in the middle: not large enough to reap economies of scale and compete with imports and not specialised enough in a unique assortment of plants

PIE statutory audit market concentration: evidence from Latvia

The reform of EU audit legislation was adopted by the Council of the EU in April 2014. The legislation consists of an audit Directive and an audit Regulation. The Directive applies to all statutory audits; the Regulation contains specific requirements for the statutory audits of public-interest entities (PIEs). The Regulation aims both at enhancing audit quality and at promoting competition in the audit market. Mandatory rotation, together with the incentives for joint audit and tendering, as well as the prohibition of certain non-audit services to audit clients - requiring de facto that another audit firm provides these services - are examples of measures that should make the market more dynamic and ultimately less concentrated. The purpose of this study is to assess the concentration levels in the market for statutory audits of PIEs in Latvia. The methods of the research are systematic, logical and comparative analysis, analysis of secondary data, as well as expert method. Data on market shares is analyzed using the four firm concentration indicators. The principle results of the study provide evidences about the high level of Latvia's PIE audit firms/networks market concentration, the dominant share of non-audit revenue in total revenue for the 6 biggest market players, the auditing oligopoly in the PIE market, the impact of the EU audit reform on the auditor-client relationships in the banking sector. Based on the findings and results of the study, the authors propose a set of recommendations aimed to make the Latvian audit market more transparent and less concentrated

Procurement of Railway Infrastructure Projects – A European Benchmarking Study

This benchmarking study compares how railway investments are procured in five European countries: Sweden, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. In total, 19 procurement managers and project managers were interviewed. This study compares the national rail clients’ procurement strategies regarding: delivery system, reward system, contractor selection, and collaboration model. Historically, these clients have used in-house production. The first step towards a gradually increased usage of the market was to outsource the construction activities while keeping the design and development competence in-house. All five countries have mainly used Design-Bid-Build contracts in their initial outsourcing. However, the last few years there is a discernible trend in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK towards allocating more design and development responsibilities to contractors (i.e. Design-Build contracts) and increasing the strategic focus on cooperation. The UK and the Netherlands are forerunners in this trend that can be viewed as a third step in the transition towards a market oriented railway sector. Norway and Sweden is in the middle of this transition, whereas Germany has not initiated this change. The transition towards a gradually increased usage of the market has two main dimensions; degree of cooperation and degree of contractor freedom, which differs among the countries. The UK and Sweden focus on increasing both these dimensions, while The Netherlands and Norway mostly focus on increasing the degree of contractor freedom. Germany still limits both dimensions by performing design and development in-house and letting contractors compete for construction work in Design-Bid-Build contracts. Due to historical and cultural reasons, Deutsche Bahn in Germany is very hesitant to engage in collaboration with external suppliers; focusing on competition is considered more appropriate and less controversial

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Identifying work ability promoting factors for home care aides and assistant nurses

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In workplace health promotion, all potential resources needs to be taken into consideration, not only factors relating to the absence of injury and the physical health of the workers, but also psychological aspects. A dynamic balance between the resources of the individual employees and the demands of work is an important prerequisite. In the home care services, there is a noticeable trend towards increased psychosocial strain on employees at work. There are a high frequency of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and injuries, and a low prevalence of sustainable work ability. The aim of this research was to identify factors promoting work ability and self-efficacy in care aides and assistant nurses within home care services.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study is based on cross-sectional data collected in a municipality in northern Sweden. Care aides (n = 58) and assistant nurses (n = 79) replied to a self-administered questionnaire (response rate 46%). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the influence of several independent variables on self-efficacy (model 1) and work ability (model 2) for care aides and assistant nurses separately.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Perceptions of personal safety, self-efficacy and musculoskeletal wellbeing contributed to work ability for assistant nurses (R²adj of 0.36, <it>p </it>< 0.001), while for care aides, the safety climate, seniority and age contributed to work ability (R²adj of 0.29, <it>p </it>= 0.001). Self-efficacy was associated with the safety climate and the physical demands of the job in both professions (R²adj of 0.24, <it>p </it>= 0.003 for care aides), and also by sex and age for the assistant nurses (R²adj of 0.31, <it>p </it>< 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The intermediate factors contributed differently to work ability in the two professions. Self-efficacy, personal safety and musculoskeletal wellbeing were important for the assistant nurses, while the work ability of the care aides was associated with the safety climate, but also with the non-changeable factors age and seniority. All these factors are important to acknowledge in practice and in further research. Proactive workplace interventions need to focus on potentially modifiable factors such as self-efficacy, safety climate, physical job demands and musculoskeletal wellbeing.</p

Zürich Statement on Future Actions on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs).

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are man-made chemicals that contain at least one perfluoroalkyl moiety, [Formula: see text]. To date, over 4,000 unique PFASs have been used in technical applications and consumer products, and some of them have been detected globally in human and wildlife biomonitoring studies. Because of their extraordinary persistence, human and environmental exposure to PFASs will be a long-term source of concern. Some PFASs such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) have been investigated extensively and thus regulated, but for many other PFASs, knowledge about their current uses and hazards is still very limited or missing entirely. To address this problem and prepare an action plan for the assessment and management of PFASs in the coming years, a group of more than 50 international scientists and regulators held a two-day workshop in November, 2017. The group identified both the respective needs of and common goals shared by the scientific and the policy communities, made recommendations for cooperative actions, and outlined how the science-policy interface regarding PFASs can be strengthened using new approaches for assessing and managing highly persistent chemicals such as PFASs. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4158