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2 Aug 21
Proposed public procurement reforms risk restricting local organisations' freedom to decide how best to pursue social value in their area, according to a Parliamentary committee.
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5 Mar 20
Several Whitehall departments regularly ignore outsourcing guidelines produced after contractor Carillion collapsed two years ago, meaning government is still signing risky contracts that could...
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11 Feb 20
After the collapse of private contractor Carillion and the failure of outsourced probation, is outsourcing out of vogue with local government? Neil Merrick reports.
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6 Jan 20
UK public sector spend on procurement increased by 17% to £93bn in the last year, according to a data provider on government contracts.
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11 Jul 19
Public sector bodies should involve communities more in their decisions to commission services, a think-tank has said.
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20 Aug 18
Calls have been made for the government to give NHS staff clear guidance on complex health procurement rules to stop private sector providers suing clinical commission groups.
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17 Aug 18
The government’s recently published civic society strategy was light on detail, says the RSA’s Ian Burbidge. Plenty of commissioners were already doing innovative, forward-thinking work without it....
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19 Mar 18
Collapsed public services and construction contractor Carillion paid £6.4m to business advisers the day before it asked taxpayers for a £10m bailout.
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28 Feb 18
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority suffered “untold reputational damage” over its contract with the firm Magnox, according to a scathing report from the Public Accounts Committee.
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24 Apr 17
We need to change the way we think about social care, shifting away from need towards outcomes
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13 Dec 16
The Cabinet Office severely underestimated the difficulty of implementing joint buying across government through the Crown Commercial Service, according to a report from the National Audit Office.
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12 Dec 16
Pay for some civil servants could rise under plans to improve procurement across Whitehall, the government’s commercial chief has suggested.
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25 Aug 16
Setting up a trading company to provide services is one way to reduce costs, and several matters need to be considered to ensure your company is viable and a success
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7 Jun 16
David Cameron has highlighted the importance of transparency in the public sector. A new standard contract for Whitehall outsourcing could help provide more information across services
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29 Apr 16
Public sector procurement teams must not just ‘let and forget’ but ensure they monitor and manage contracts closely
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1 Apr 16
EU procurement rules often get bad press but they have not yet had a high profile in the UK referendum debate on membership. But they lie at the heart of the internal market and often have a big...
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19 Feb 16
Commissioning on a payment by results basis seems appealing when budgets are tight, but is it really a beneficial approach?
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11 Jan 16
Outcome-based commissioning could help make some public services more efficient as well as help develop new models of provision, experts at a CIPFA roundtable event have said.
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4 Feb 13
Outsourcing hit the news for all the wrong reasons last year, putting traditional contracts under scrutiny. So what does the future hold? As the public sector grapples with huge cuts, expect new...