Whitehall must overhaul public sector outsourcing in wake of failures, says think tank March 28, 2019 The government should rethink the way it outsources public services, but banning the practice would be “throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” according to research. In a report, Reform think tank has called for more training for civil servants who hand out public contracts to the private sector in the wake of a raft [...]
Institute of Directors concerned over future of UK corporate governance under new audit regulator March 21, 2019 The Institute of Directors has expressed concern over the future of corporate governance in the UK following the establishment of a new audit regulator. The influential business organisation said the proposed regulator that is set to replace the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), which is being abolished in the wake of a string of corporate scandals, [...]
Former Carillion man takes the reins at embattled Kier Group March 19, 2019 The man who was once named the new leader of Carillion has taken the reins at Kier Group, the construction firm confirmed this morning. Andrew Davies, appointed Carillion’s new chief executive just months before it went out of business, will take up his new role form 15 April, Kier said. Read more: Embattled outsourcer Kier's net debt [...]
Kier to appoint former Carillion hire Andrew Davies as chief executive March 18, 2019 Embattled construction firm Kier is set to appoint the executive who was hired by Carillion weeks before the contractors collapse to lead a turnaround at the company. Andrew Davies, who was due to step into the role of chief executive at Carillion before it plunged into liquidation last year, is expected to be appointed as [...]
Outsourcer Interserve begins trading as a private company after shares suspended March 18, 2019 Government supplier Interserve has today embarked on a new chapter as a private company, after its shares were removed from the London Stock Exchange. The ex-FTSE 250 mainstay went into administration on Friday after shareholders rejected a plan to alleviate most of its £630m debt pile, which would have seen their collective stake in the [...]
Outsourcer Interserve falls into administration after shareholders reject rescue deal March 15, 2019 Interserve has fallen into administration after shareholders roundly rejected a rescue deal designed to relieve it of a more than £630m debt pile. The public outsourcer has announced it expects to fall into the hands of administrators after investors voted to reject its proposed deal by 59 per cent to 41 per cent at a general meeting this morning. Earlier [...]
Mark Kleinman: Interserve is left to clean up its own mess March 15, 2019 What’s this? A public voting process punctuated by angry disputes about the terms and timing of a deal; feverish talk of ousting the top team orchestrating the agreement; and potentially dire consequences if the vote is blocked. It sounds a lot like events in Westminster, but today might instead mark the denouement of another of [...]
Spring Statement: Chancellor to consult on new ways of funding infrastructure projects March 13, 2019 The government is to launch a consultation on how the government pays for infrastructure projects such as Crossrail and HS2 in future, the chancellor said today. In a Spring Statement overshadowed by an impending vote by MPs on whether to accept a no-deal Brexit, Philip Hammond said he would consult business on how to fund [...]
Balfour Beatty: UK’s largest construction firm returns margins to ‘industry standard’ March 13, 2019 Balfour Beatty’s turnaround plan has returned the once troubled construction firm to “industry standard” margins, according to chief executive Leo Quinn. The biggest constructor in the UK reported an increase in profits and an order book growing more than a tenth year-on-year in its 2018 results, prompting shares to rise 1.2 per cent in morning trading. [...]
Coltrane Asset Management: What do we know about the hedge fund ruffling Interserve’s feathers? March 12, 2019 Outsourcing giant Interserve has taken a hammering in recent weeks from a very rowdy shareholder: Coltrane Asset Management. The New York hedge fund has done its utmost to derail a rescue deal designed to save the outsourcer from administration, even threatening to sue Interserve’s board last month. Coltrane may have caused a ruckus, but what [...]