Stop procurement pain and allow officials to make mistakes

Stop procurement pain and allow officials to make mistakes

Procurement rules, which were originally brought in as a means of providing protection against unfair competition, have in practice turned out to be a bureaucratic, costly circus that certainly does not exclude unfair competition. Examples such as the fiasco surrounding the Fyra trains and the tendering procedure for police vehicles have of course received extensive media coverage. However, those cases that do not get reported on are actually the ones that harm small businesses the most.
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Are we quitting subsidies as well, after Paris?

Are we quitting subsidies as well, after Paris?

History was made at the recent Climate Summit in Paris. In the words of the Dutch State Secretary for the Environment, this is something that comes to known as “green history”. Members of the delegations fell into each other’s arms, tears in their eyes, followed by an ovation lasting several minutes.
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Government be our first customer!

Government be our first customer!

On Friday the thirteenth, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) announced that growth had levelled off in the third quarter to almost zero. Disappointing natural gas revenues and a weak export position were all over the newspapers. And, actually, that’s no great surprise.
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The Netherlands… actually the greenest city in the world!

The Netherlands… actually the greenest city in the world!

As a businesswoman, I’m becoming increasingly reluctant to follow what’s going on in the news. Aside from the positive news that Shell is stopping drilling for oil in Alaska, over the last few weeks we’ve been able to read about the large numbers of refugees, the slashing of prices of medication, the scandal over diesel cars and the ‘carbon bubble’.
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Google

Google

In August I was in California, where I visited Google – such an opportunity! I had a meeting with Jan, a software developer at Google I’ve known for years because he is my son’s best friend. Jan has been working at Google for around six months now.

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OECD 2015, Paris

June 16, 2015 – The Netherlands as a Sustainable Urban Delta – Proven Model for Future Growth during the Netherlands’ Presidency of the OECD 2015, Paris.