One of the more fancied – and noisier – contenders for the contract to implement the UK’s national football membership scheme, CMG Computer Management Group has asked for its name to be withdrawn from the shortlist of potential suppliers, saying that on the basis of the draft statement of requirements, the day to day operation of the scheme, which is substantially different from what it originally envisaged, presents us with an unreasonable business risk, and one that even a company the size of CMG is not prepared to take; CMG says that the Football League is not prepared to take the same financial risks as must be borne by the company that is appointed prime contractor, even though it expects to participate in any profits from it.
