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Wrightbus Powers Up Green Transport
£25M investment in zero-emission vehicles boosts UK jobs and positions Northern Ireland at the forefront of clean transport innovation.
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🔍 Today’s Focus:
Good to Know: AI Copilot streamlines councils, CCS AI tackles sector issues, Renewable Energy event connects green pros.
Daily Spend Watch: Spotlight on Greater Manchester
International View: Europe’s Top Procurement Picks
Opportunity Picks: £150M Future HPITT Programme: Partner needed for teacher recruitment in disadvantaged schools.
News: Passport fees rise, Wrightbus invests £25M in green transport, CMA reviews £5.5B oilfield deal.
Technology: Voicenotes Pages simplifies audio publishing, Crono automates sales outreach, LiquidIndex processes documents.
Let’s dive into the details 👇
DAILY SPEND WATCH
🗺️ Region in Focus: Greater Manchester
Spending Snapshot
Over £1.3 billion awarded in early April 2025
Major awards in healthcare services (£1.19B), digital transformation (£74M), and transport infrastructure (£12M+)
Significant investment in non-emergency patient transport and elective care services
Supplier Insights
Healthcare providers dominate the supplier landscape with major contracts awarded to Mastercall Healthcare (£1.12B), Circle Health Group, and Ramsay Health Care. The region shows a strong digital transformation focus with IT contracts across multiple sectors, particularly in healthcare data systems and transport technology solutions.
Digital and data analytics projects are increasingly prevalent—with notable awards including YOTRA LIMITED for transit services (£4.1M) and multiple healthcare data management systems. The diverse supplier ecosystem includes both major contractors and specialized SMEs with local delivery capabilities.
INTERNATIONAL VIEW
Top 5 European Public Procurement Opportunities (April 1-11, 2025)
Hand Grenade Supply for Police Forces — France
£23,382,621.00
Supply of crowd-control hand grenades for national police and gendarmerie forces, representing France's focus on enhanced security capabilities.Digital Bunker Backup System — Poland
£2,191,127.97
Expansion of Poland's eHealth Center backup system with ransomware protection infrastructure, including hardware, software, and 60-month support.Nuclear Facility Cleaning Services — Spain
£2,002,301.61
Specialized cleaning services for Enresa (National Radioactive Waste Company) facilities, requiring expertise in sensitive environments and regulatory compliance.Multi-year Social Services Framework — Netherlands
£1,905,250.60
Integrated program focusing on community support, environmental services, and social inclusion, demonstrating investment in comprehensive welfare systems.Emergency Communications Equipment — Spain
£1,678,352.57
Radio communication terminals for Galicia's Digital Emergency Network, supporting critical infrastructure for first responders and emergency service coordination.
OPPORTUNITY PICKS
Overview: The Department for Education is seeking a strategic partner to design and deliver a £150 million, 5.5-year teacher recruitment and training programme (with possible extension) that will attract high-potential candidates to disadvantaged schools across England, with procurement commencing this summer and the first cohort starting September 2027.
💡 Winning Strategies
The most critical differentiator for this bid will be demonstrating a deep understanding of the specific challenges faced by schools in disadvantaged communities and presenting an innovative, evidence-based approach to attracting talent who might not otherwise consider teaching in these environments. Success will hinge on balancing prestigious program design with practical implementation across diverse regions of England, showing clear pathways from recruitment through qualification to leadership development. Your approach should explicitly address the government's 'Opportunity Mission' while demonstrating how your solution will create sustainable networks of teaching professionals committed to long-term careers in challenging school environments.
NEWS
The UK government has increased passport application fees. Online adult applications now cost £94.50 (up from £88.50); children's rise to £61.50. Premium and overseas services also see increases. The changes aim to reduce the taxpayer burden by funding services through user fees. Apply early, as 99.7% were processed within 3 weeks in 2024.
Wrightbus is investing £25M into R&D to supercharge zero-emission vehicles. The plan? Develop electric buses with 200-mile range and 2.5-hour charge times, plus a hydrogen coach hitting 1,000km per refuel. This move boosts UK jobs, slashes CO₂, and puts NI at the heart of clean transport innovation.
The CMA is considering remedies from Schlumberger to address competition concerns over its £5.5B merger with ChampionX. Proposed fixes include selling UK assets and licensing key tech to rivals. Without changes, the deal could hurt competition in the North Sea oil sector. A final decision is expected in 40 working days.
TECHNOLOGY
🎙️ Voicenotes Pages enables instant audio publishing with one-tap recording and sharing. The platform removes traditional publishing friction while offering transcription, subscriber notifications, and AI features to help anyone share their thoughts.
✍️ Crono automates personalized sales outreach by using AI to rewrite entire message sequences based on lead insights. The platform finds relevant information about prospects and transforms generic messages into high-converting conversations with one click.
🔍 LiquidIndex provides multi-tenant RAG through a Stripe-like API requiring just three calls. The system handles document processing, embedding, and storage while maintaining complete data isolation between your users.
TIP OF THE DAY
Enhance Transparency with Data
Use open data platforms to improve transparency and trust in procurement processes. Publish pipeline notices for upcoming projects to help suppliers prepare effectively.
Example: Share details of future tenders valued over £2 million, enabling SMEs to strategize and bid competitively.
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