Latest news with #projectmanagement
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Concerns over ‘wasted' money on admin and consultants
Concerns have been raised about public money being 'wasted' on admin and consultants to deliver vital projects across the West Midlands. Members of the West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) Overview & Scrutiny Committee were told hundreds of thousands of pounds were not being effectively used due to constraints placed on grants received. Ed Cox, Deputy Chief Executive & Executive Director for Strategy, Economy & Net Zero, said since 2016 the authority has been funded by different Government departments giving around 90 grants for specific purposes. But he said, for some projects, the funding awarded would have to be spent within short time scales resulting in the need to outsource the work as they wouldn't be able to appoint staff within the period. In April this year, WMCA was one of just two English regions to receive an Integrated Settlement of £389 million as well as transport funding of £211 million. From 2026/27 it will become a multi-year settlement which bosses say will bring in even more control and flexibility over how funding is spent. At the meeting, members heard how 'government administration costs' saw £700,000 extracted from the £70 million Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund. They also heard how £127,400 was spent on consultants to carry out an evaluation of the WMCA Job Rotation Pilot in Coventry. Mr Cox said: 'We have had to receive each individual grant with these terms and conditions and then try to spend it according to a timeline the Government department has dictated to us. 'Because of a limited time frame, we couldn't start appointing staff to do that properly or building our own capacity to do it. 'So the way you've got to do it is get consultants in to do it and we end up with these projects. 'We have consistently said to Government this is no way to treat a serious regional body led by democratic authorities and led by the Mayor. 'We need a better way in which to fund mayoral combined authorities so they have started to make that transition with the Integrated Settlement. 'We're in the first year of that and they've done that for around 20 different grants out of the 90 and now coming together in this year and we're able to be a bit more strategic in the way we fund things.' He added: 'We've had three items on the (meeting) agenda, all of which have been about relatively small amounts of money from relatively short term periods that are given by Government with particular strings attached. 'The way in which they are given to us means we have to spend a disproportionate amount, on other forms of consultancy, simply because there are no other ways to deliver them in that time frame. 'It's a waste of public money, to be frank about it, because we could be building up the capacity of our local authorities or ourselves to do this.'
Entrepreneur
3 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Perplexity Rolls Out 'Labs' to Help Users Execute Projects End-to-End
Labs operates on a 10-minute self-supervised cycle, using a combination of web browsing, code execution, data visualisation, and file generation to build project assets You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. AI-powered search engine Perplexity has launched a new feature called Labs, expanding its platform from an answer engine to a hands-on project execution tool. Pro subscribers can use Labs to transform ideas into tangible deliverables such as reports, spreadsheets, dashboards, and simple web apps. The launch marks a significant shift in Perplexity's approach from delivering fast, research-backed answers to actively creating structured outputs. Unlike its existing modes, Search and Research (formerly Deep Research), which are designed for quick analysis, Labs is built for tasks requiring extended engagement and multiple steps. Labs operates on a 10-minute self-supervised cycle, using a combination of web browsing, code execution, data visualisation, and file generation to build project assets. These assets are then automatically organised under dedicated tabs—'Assets' for files like CSVs, charts, and documents, and 'App' for interactive tools such as dashboards or mini web apps. The company said the feature is designed to assist with a range of professional and personal tasks, from business planning and data analysis to content creation and workflow automation. Users can begin by selecting a task from their to-do list or browsing project templates provided in the newly launched Projects Gallery. The feature is currently live on web, iOS, and Android, with versions for Mac and Windows expected to follow.
Auto Car
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
Aston project boss: building excellent cars is a team sport
Project management is a passion for Aston Martin's Renee Knott Close The top designers, engineers and company bosses will usually get the headlines and plaudits for the successful launch of a new car. But behind them is a team of hundreds, maybe thousands, working towards that success. New models must be planned and costed then delivered on time and on budget. That involves planning and project management, and Renee Knott, whose role at Aston Martin sees her head up both of those areas, is one of those backstage heroes.
CNA
4 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Collaborate to Innovate - Providing Hands-On Support
01:24 Min The panel explains the benefits of having a hands-on approach in different levels of management when working with project collaborators. Collaborate to Innovate About the show: Winners of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce Awards share how collaboration has driven innovations—from AI-powered medical tools for the hearing-impaired to transforming a brownfield site into a zero-energy certified building. This panel discussion explores key takeaways from partnerships involving organisations such as Schneider Electric, Singapore Polytechnic, Kajima Corporation, SMT Technology, and FingerDance.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Westgold appoints Ivan Mullany as Independent Non-Executive Director
PERTH, Western Australia, May 29, 2025 /CNW/ - Westgold Resources Limited (ASX: WGX) (TSX: WGX) – (Westgold or the Company) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Ivan Mullany as an Independent Non-Executive Director to the Board, effective immediately. Mr. Mullany (BSc, Majoring in Extractive Metallurgy, CIMM, FAusIMM), has over 35 years in mining project management with broad international experiences. Most recently, with Newmont Corporation and its predecessor Goldcorp Inc. on the Senior Leadership Team, Mr. Mullany led numerous major projects, collectively in excess of $18 billion, during the engineering study, construction and execution stages. In Australia and most recently, Mr Mullany was appointed Chair of the Hemi Gold Project Committee at De Grey Mining Limited (ASX:DEG), where he provided strategic oversight of the Project Execution Plan for the proposed Hemi development, prior to the takeover by Northern Star. Mr Mullany is currently a Non-Executive Director of Nexgen Energy Ltd and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Westgold Non-executive Chair Hon Cheryl Edwardes AO commented: "Westgold is delighted to welcome Ivan to the Board. Ivan is a great cultural fit and his extensive operational and project delivery experience will significantly strengthen our Board and strategic planning processes. Our leadership team will directly benefit from his operational excellence background as this is a key to unlocking greater productivity and increasing free cash flow from our expansive Western Australian gold portfolio." This announcement is authorised for release to the ASX by the Board. SOURCE Westgold Resources Limited View original content to download multimedia:
