Quality of tender documents: case studies from the UK

Tendering is one of the stages in construction procurement that requires extensive information and documents exchange. However, tender documents are not always clear in practice. The aim of this study was to ascertain the clarity and adequacy of tender documents used in practice. Access was negotiated into two UK construction firms and the whole tender process for two projects was shadowed for 6-7 weeks in each firm using an ethnographic approach. A significant amount of tender queries, amendments and addenda were recorded. This showed that quality of tender documentation is still a problem in construction despite the existence of standards like Co-ordinated Project Information (1987) and British Standard 1192 (1984 and 1990) that are meant to help in producing clear and consistent project information. Poor quality tender documents are a source of inaccurate estimates, claims and disputes on contracts. Six recommendations are presented to help in improving the quality of tender documentation. Further research is needed into the recommendations to help improve the quality of tender documents, perhaps in conjunction with an industry-wide investigation into the level of incorporation of CPI principles in practice

MRI changes in psoriatic dactylitisextent of pathology, relationship to tenderness and correlation with clinical indices

Objectives. To quantify the extent of inflammation in psoriatic dactylitis and to examine the relationship between clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data in both tender and non-tender dactylitis. Methods. Seventeen patients with psoriatic dactylitis underwent clinical assessment for 6 months after change of treatment, usually to methotrexate. Measures of dactylitis included the Leeds Dactylitis Index, the assessment tool used in the Infliximab in Psoriatic Arthritis Clinical Trial (IMPACT), a simple count of tender dactlylitic digits and a count of all dactylitic digits, both tender and non-tender. MRI scans of the affected hand or foot were performed before and after treatment using a 1.5T Siemens scanner pre- and post-contrast. Results. All patients improved clinically, as did their respective dactylitis scores and MRI images. The findings on MRI in both dactylitic and non-dactylitic digits were profound and widespread. The difference between tender and non-tender dactylitis was quantitative rather than qualitative. Synovitis and soft-tissue oedema were the most frequent abnormalities being present in 69 of tender dactylitic digits but bone oedema and flexor tenosynovitis were also frequently seen. Soft-tissue oedema was circumferential and enhancing and not limited to association with the flexor or extensor tendons. None of the clinical indices of dactylitis showed a close relationship to the extent of MRI abnormalities. Conclusions. MRI images demonstrate widespread abnormalities in digits of people with psoriatic arthritis. Tender dactylitic digits have more abnormalities than other digits but the relationship between clinical and MRI scores is not strong

Standing Under Section 14(e) Of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934: May A Tender Offeror Sue For Injunctive Relief?

This Note examines certain legal issues arising out of the increasing popularity of cash tender offers as a means for gaining control of public companies. Specifically, this Note will examine The Williams Act and its protection against possible fraud committed by parties attempting to use cash tender offers to take control of a company. Next, the Note will review the U.S. Supreme Court decision Piper Aircraft, Inc. v. Chris-Craft Industries, Inc. to see if a tender offeror can sue for damages under section 14(e) of Securities Exchange Act of 1934 if it is defrauded by another tender offeror

Standing Under Section 14(e) Of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934: May A Tender Offeror Sue For Injunctive Relief?

This Note examines certain legal issues arising out of the increasing popularity of cash tender offers as a means for gaining control of public companies. Specifically, this Note will examine The Williams Act and its protection against possible fraud committed by parties attempting to use cash tender offers to take control of a company. Next, the Note will review the U.S. Supreme Court decision Piper Aircraft, Inc. v. Chris-Craft Industries, Inc. to see if a tender offeror can sue for damages under section 14(e) of Securities Exchange Act of 1934 if it is defrauded by another tender offeror

A new model for procuring e-books

This paper draws on a recent ground-breaking tender for e-books for higher education libraries in the UK. The strategy for the tender was informed by standard procurement practice and by the experience of acquiring other e-resources, particularly journals under the so-called big deal. Both are examined as background to the discussion of e-books in general and the tender in particular

Review of international procurement procedures

Contractor selection is a crucial element in construction procurement (Drew & Skitmore 1993, p. 363). Contractors are selected through the tender process, which varies according to country, state and contracting organisation and is subject to individual differences. This paper reviews a range of international tender processes, highlighting the ethical features that govern these guidelines. The paper is part of a project to develop ethical guidelines for procurement for major contracting authorities. By reviewing tender guidelines we are able to gain an indication of the type of ethical standards reserved for procurement. The need for good business ethics in the tender process stems from the belief that ‘good ethical practice’ is critical in meeting organisational goals (Vee & Skitmore 2003, p. 125). Hence, an ethical tender process will select ethical contractors who are viewed as beneficial to the contracting authority

Tenders with Different Risk Preferences in Construction Industry

Underlying the fact that different tenderers have different preferences on risk-taking, this study investigates the different tenderers' behaviors in one-shot construction bid auctions. Our model extends the preconditions of previous assumption that all tenderers are characterized by neutral risk-taking in the original tendering model for lowest-price sealed tender. A general tendering model for the lowest-price sealed tender is established to explain the behavior of tenderers during the tendering. The results indicate that construction estimate is affected by the degree of uncertainties in the construction industry. Therefore, in a lowest-price sealed tender, risk-averse tenders would tender a higher price and conversely risk-seeking tenderers would tender a lower price when risk-neutral tenderers would tender a middle price. However, the risk-seeking tenderers are more likely to win the bid.Auction, tender, uncertainty, preference, construction industry

Legal Tender

The legal foundation of the monetary system is the law of legal tender. The “legal tender” concept is used in models to describe almost anything except for what it really means in actual laws. Such errors prevent an accurate evaluation of the importance of this legal status. This note explains in simple terms what “legal tender” really means.Legal tender; Contract law; Taxes

Male chicken thigh meat quality from fast and slow growing breeds from an organic free-range system

Significant effects of Genotype and Age on several of the technological meat quality attributes measured were found. In general, the meat from fast growing birds (JA) was darker, more tender, had a higher water-binding but a higher cooking loss. Birds with a higher age at slaughter was more red, less tender and had a higher cooking loss. Regarding the protein concentration of the feed, no significant effects could be found on meat quality attributes, however a high protein concentration in the feed showed a tendency towards more tender meat

Para lá da técnica: delimitar fronteiras entre componentes indissociáveis da execução instrumental

O termo “técnica” tem sido usado, ao longo dos tempos, com diferentes significados e em contextos vários, entre os quais o da execução musical instrumental. Ao observar a diversidade de acepções já atribuídas ao vocábulo no campo da performance de obras musicais instrumentais, apercebemo-nos da falta de consenso que persiste quanto (1) à compreensão do seu significado neste contexto particular; (2) à identificação das componentes da execução instrumental que excedem os limites da técnica. O presente texto pretende sugerir possibilidades de resposta a estas duas questões, sem ambicionar explorá-las exaustivamente. É ilustrado com referências a alguns dos inúmeros autores que, no passado, se debruçaram sobre a questão da técnica e sobre outras com esta relacionadas, pretendendo incorporar algumas das suas ideias numa perspectiva pessoal do autor