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The use of Post Tender Negotiation (PTN) procedure in the United Kingdom (UK) public sector procurements is restricted to exceptional cases. The proponents of these restrictions, including the European Union (EU) and the UK's Office for Government Commerce (OGC) cite ethical reasons. They argue that the procedure could stifle competition as the actions of the buyer could be unethically tilted in favour of certain suppliers. This paper argues that the restrictions deprive public sector buyers from reaping the benefits associated with the procedure and recommends relaxation of the restrictions. This is because findings from this study indicate positive effects of PTN for both buyer and supplier. The buyers can use the PTN procedure to negotiate for VFM procurement, while the suppliers can modify a bid to negotiate for contract which is within their resource capabilities to execute. Furthermore, the ethical reasons cited for the restrictions are narrowly premised as evidence in literature suggests that individual's ethical behaviour may be due to cultural beliefs and not necessarily rules set by authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial processes are associated with high amounts of energy consumed and greenhouse gases emitted, stressing the urgent need for low-carbon sectoral transitions. This research reviews the energy-intensive iron and steel, cement and chemicals industries of Germany and the United Kingdom, two major emitting countries with significant activity, yet with different recent orientation. Our socio-technical analysis, based on the Sectoral Innovation Systems and the Systems Failure framework, aims to capture existing and potential drivers of or barriers to diffusion of sustainable industrial technologies and extract implications for policy. Results indicate that actor structures and inconsistent policies have limited low-carbon innovation. A critical factor for the successful decarbonisation of German industry lies in overcoming lobbying and resistance to technological innovation caused by strong networks. By contrast, a key to UK industrial decarbonisation is to drive innovation and investment in the context of an industry in decline and in light of Brexit-related uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]