UK Inquiry Tracker

Efficiency in government procurement of common goods and services

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 20 May 2024 Closed: 29 May 2024 Parliament page

Spending on public sector procurement was £379 billion in 2021/22 across the UK, according to HM Treasury statistics. The Crown Commercial Service (CCS), established in 2014, does not conduct procurement itself but provides standardised framework agreements through which public sector bodies and others purchase goods and services from pre-approved suppliers. … Read more Spending on public sector procurement was £379 billion in 2021/22 across the UK, according to HM Treasury statistics. The Crown Commercial Service (CCS), established in 2014, does not conduct procurement itself but provides standardised framework agreements through which public sector bodies and others purchase goods and services from pre-approved suppliers. The vast majority of central government bodies use the CCS in this way. In 2023, the Committee highlighted that government is unable to demonstrate value for money across billions of taxpayer pounds of public procurement, due to significant issues with the quality and completeness of data on contracts. It also found a lack of emphasis on ensuring that competition is being used to maximise value for money. Earlier, in 2017, the Committee’s report on the CCS found that its overall performance had been poor, highlighting that it did not have detailed plans from the start setting out how it would collaborate with government departments, and had failed to gain their confidence. CCS’s market share has remained in the region of 20% during the past five years, although it reported that the achievement of over £3 billion of commercial benefits for its customers for the first time in 2022/23. Based on the 2024 NAO’s work , the Committee will take evidence from senior Cabinet Office and CCS officials on the CCS’ performance, funding, governance, and efficiency, with likely topics including: opportunities and challenges for CCS in delivering efficiency savings for public sector procurement; incentives for CCS, departments and the wider public sector to promote greater efficiency; the availability and quality of data collection and analysis to identify efficiencies in central purchasing. If you have evidence on this issue, please submit it here by 23:59 on Monday 10 June 2024. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. This inquiry was closed due to the 2024 General Election. Show less