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A recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into Government procurement was generally favourable but did point to short comings in the implementation of some reforms; inconsistencies within the approach to management and quality of service; and was critical of the failure to maximise the potential for savings through centralised procurement.
The big business body, CBI, also saw room for improvement for small businesses to provide services.
Responding to Report on Improving Government Procurement, Jim Bligh, CBI Head of Public Services Reform, said: “Businesses recently gave the Government high marks for procurement policy reform but only 5/10 for overall implementation.
“Two and a half years after the Government committed to centralising public procurement, individual departments are still too often doing their own thing. We need to see strong leadership from the Cabinet Office to drive a culture shift across the whole of Whitehall, highlighting the benefits of bringing procurement under one roof.
"High-quality procurement can be an important driver of growth and although the Government has made some progress in using more SME suppliers, it needs to create more opportunities for smaller businesses directly and through supply chains.”
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Susie Hughes © Shout99 2013
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