You need to use version 1.21 of the bulkload spreadsheet to submit claims in Contract Work and Administration (CWA).

This is now available for you to download on GOV.UK.

The updated version 1.21 allows the reporting of the amended domestic violence evidence requirements introduced on 8 January 2018.

It replaces version 1.20 which should no longer be used for submissions.

You can find out more by downloading guidance on GOV.UK – see below.  

Further information

Submit a CWA claim online – to download updated ‘provider bulkload spreadsheet’

On 8 January, thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be able to bid for up to £12bn of government contracts more easily, thanks in part to the work of government lawyers.

Chris Stanley, a lawyer within the Government Legal Department’s (GLD) Commercial Law Group has spent the past year condensing some 50,000 words of the existing Crown Commercial Service (CCS) contract terms into a new slimline Public Sector Contract. The finished document promises a more user-friendly route to government work and a quicker, more streamlined way of working. Not having to wade through dense contracts will save money and resources not only for SMEs but also within government itself.

“SMEs are the backbone of our country,” Prime Minister Theresa May told a gathering of small businesses and trade associations last year. “I want to build an economy that works for all and that means working with, and listening to, smaller firms’.

The new Public Sector Contract is a collaborative effort by the Government Digital Service (GDS), focusing on user research, content design and interaction design, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) and the legal review of both GLD and the law firm DLA Piper. This multidisciplinary team is working to bring policy and digital together to deliver contracts.

Chris paired with Tracy Hughes, a content designer from the Digital Marketplace team at GDS. The two went through the entire draft document line by line, cutting and trimming the more opaque legalese and getting rid of any duplication, so that the meaning was clearer and more comprehensible for non-lawyer users.

It was not by any means an easy trade as Tracy’s focus was on plain English, which Chris admits went against his natural legal inclination to wordiness. But they eventually achieved a compromise: “It was definitely the best way to ensure that the content is more accessible to everyone while remaining legally sound,” Chris said.

But how do you go about cutting down a government contract so substantially? According to Chris, the chief difference is that “The existing content is presented in a clearer and more concise way, while frequently unnecessary provisions have been moved into modular optional Schedules” .

One of the major benefits is that a small organisation or company that does not have a dedicated legal team will now be better able to understand and adapt the Public Sector Contract to its needs by merely selecting those elements it needs to apply.

The benefits also apply for public sector buyers. Chris explains: “There are some smaller organisations that may not have extensive procurement experience. They are run by skilled people but they won’t always have the resources to deal with complex contracts. Without a user-friendly government framework they are likely to pay a far higher price for goods and services using less favourable terms.”

Public sector buyers which have greater legal capabilities, such as the Ministry of Justice, will still be able to adapt the contract to suit their more specialised requirements.

The prize is considerable: the government facilities management (FM) marketplace alone is worth around £12bn and covers everything from mechanical and electrical engineering to cleaning.

The new contract will not only make it easier for companies to bid for government work but will also establish a benchmark for good business ethics by integrating some new corporate social responsibility obligations. “We want our suppliers to be good corporate citizens,” Chris says.

Warren Smith, Digital Marketplace Director hails the collaboration. “This shows One Team government working at its best and gives us a solid platform on which to build further reforms.” While Jason Waterman, Director at the Crown Commercial Service, adds: “This is a key initiative and will set a new standard for government contracts brining our offering in line with the very best in commercial practice.”

The new Facilities Management Contract will launch on 8 January 2018.

A Devon skip company has been ordered to pay £5,500 in fines and costs for illegally burning waste. The case was brought by the Environment Agency.

Tivvy Skips Ltd runs a small waste transfer station near Tiverton and operates under an environmental permit. On 6 January 2017 the site was inspected and waste was seen being placed in a dumper truck, before being transferred into a skip and burned.

The condition of the skip and debris found around it indicated the burning of waste was a ‘routine occurrence’. Alan Hutchings, the site manager at Tivvy Skips, blamed the illegal burning on a member of staff who he claimed was doing it without his knowledge.

A court heard the Environment Agency had previously warned the company about burning waste, but it had ignored the warnings.

Richard Tugwell, of the Environment Agency, said:

Burning waste is illegal and poses a serious risk to the environment and human health.The motive is nearly always financial as it reduces the amount of waste a company has to legally dispose of.

Courts take these offences seriously and where we have evidence, we won’t hesitate to prosecute.

Appearing before Exeter magistrates, Tivvy Skips Ltd was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £2,500 costs after being found guilty of breaching Regulation 38 of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016.

Since the offence, the company has introduced new management procedures and was found to be compliant during a recent inspection.

Silage effluent is an acidic liquid produced by the silage making process which is a serious pollutant if it enters a watercourse.

The government has announced new measures to tackle the sale of unsafe laser pointers, including strengthening safeguards to stop high-powered lasers entering the country.

In a response to a call for evidence launched last year following a recent increase in the number of incidents involving lasers, the government today (8 January 2018) pledged additional support to local authority ports and borders teams to stop high-powered laser pointers entering the UK.

This includes supporting local authority teams to carry out increased checks at the border, including testing products to ensure they are safe. The support will also ensure local authority teams have access to the necessary scientific, technical and testing expertise.

The government will work with manufacturers and retailers to improve laser pointer labelling, indicating that they must not be pointed at eyes or at vehicles and must state the power level of the product. The policing of online laser pointer sales will also be improved by working with online retailers including eBay.

More than 150 incidents of eye injuries involving laser pointers were reported since 2013, the vast majority of these involving children. As in many of these cases neither children nor their parents have known the danger involved, the government will also work to raise awareness of the risks associated with laser pointers.

In 2016, the Civil Aviation Authority received reports of 1,258 laser incidents, with Heathrow the most frequent location for reports of the devices being used recklessly.

Laser beam attacks against the rail network are also a concern. Records from the British Transport Police show that between 1 April 2011 and 30 November 2017, a total of 578 laser incidents were recorded. This equates to approximately 96 incidents per year.

Margot James, Consumer Minister, said:

The government has listened to concerns from pilots, health professionals and safety experts, which is why we are going further than ever before to crack down on the sale of unsafe devices.

Public safety is of the utmost importance and we are working to increase the public’s knowledge of the potential dangers associated with these devices and strengthening the penalties for when they are misused.

Professor John O’Hagan, of PHE’s Laser and Optical Radiation Dosimetry Group, said:

Over time we have become increasingly concerned about the dangers of growing numbers of unlabelled and incorrectly labelled high power laser pointers being bought by the public.

It is tragic that we continue to see eye injuries, especially in children. Laser safety experts at Public Health England have worked closely with local authorities in stopping large numbers of these lasers reaching UK consumers.

The extra protections proposed should help even further – if you have a laser and you don’t need it, remove the batteries and get rid of it.

Brian Strutton, General Secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), said:

This is more welcome news from the government on lasers and shows that it is taking this important issue seriously.

The Department for Transport recently announced the introduction of new tougher laws for those who shine lasers at aircraft. Now the tougher restrictions on importation should hopefully stop high-powered lasers reaching the hands of those with ill-intentions in the first place.

Shining a laser at an aircraft is extremely dangerous and has the potential to cause a crash that could be fatal to not only those on board, but people on the ground too.

Today’s measures build on tough new penalties in the Laser Misuse (Vehicles) Bill, which was introduced by the Department for Transport last year. The Bill expands the list of vehicles it is an offence to target with lasers. It also makes it easier to prosecute offenders by removing the need to prove an intention to endanger a vehicle. People who shine laser devices at transport operators could be jailed for up to 5 years.

1. Rehman Chishti MP introduced a private members bill to Parliament to control dangerous laser pens and this was followed by the government’s call for evidence to address the inappropriate use of these devices.

2. The Laser Misuse (Vehicles) Bill introduced by the Department for Transport, which has its second reading on Tuesday 9 January, will expand the list of vehicles, beyond just planes, which it is an offence to target with lasers.

3. The increased investment for local authority ports and border teams will support increased checks at the border, including the testing of products to ensure they are safe, and great enforcement action. BEIS will also ensure local authority teams have access to the necessary scientific, technical and testing expertise.