The report by The Foundation for Information Technology in Local Government (FITLOG) explores the question: Can electronic procurement help local authorities to get better prices for the goods and services they buy, as well as saving administration costs and improving management information? It provides senior decision-makers with an independent view of the potential of e-procurement approaches in local government, as well as the policy and management challenges they offer. The topics examined in the guide include: the benefits of using technology, e-procurement models and the key policy and practical issues for councils.Published by FITLOG. Fax order line 0117-975-7965. The report costs 45 pounds for non-commercial organisations and 90 pounds for commercial organization

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Doctor in training are being given smart cards to streamline the administrative process when they move the next post. The cards will radically reduce the time taken to carry out initial checks on doctors, make the process more reliable and reduce costs.The smart cards, which include a photograph of the holder, record pre-employment check data such as the results of police checks, General Medical Council registration numbers, contractual details, together with occupational health and immunisation records. Card holders can request a paper print-out of the data on their card for validation or for updating. Data will be transferred at regular intervals to a central database to provide a secure back-up. If a card is lost or stolen a new card can be reissued using the stored current data.

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Quality of life indicators devised by the Audit Commission have been successfully piloted by local councils to measure the effectiveness of their community strategies and help in developing local strategic partnerships. The success of the pilot is likely to lead to public service wide adoption of the indicators which are set to become powerful levers of policy.The 32 cross-cutting indicators cover social, economic and environmental issues and they have been piloted by 90 councils. The indicators cover a broader area than council responsibilities and they were devised to reflect the wider role of councils to promote the social, economic and environmental well-being of their area, and their new duty to work with partners to prepare a community strategy. They paint a picture of the quality of life in the local area and challenge all partners locally to address the issues within their community strategies.

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