Procurement
Government outsourcing
Which services have been outsourced successfully and which need reform
Labour’s insourcing policy shows need for better evidence on who delivers services
Labour’s insourcing policy deserves thoughtful engagement – but it also underlines how future governments need to base decisions on better evidence.
The private sector and the NHS: not ‘on the table’, but already in the market
The public might be surprised about how much private sector involvement in the NHS already happens.
Probation outsourcing is a case study in failure
The Government must learn from the mistakes which have made re-nationalisation of probation services necessary
The lessons from Interserve must be learnt
Another of the Government’s biggest contractors has gone into administration because it took on risky contracts it couldn’t deliver.
Chris Grayling’s charmed life threatens ministerial accountability
The continued survival of Chris Grayling in government sets a dangerous precedent for the principle of ministerial accountability.
The Ministry of Justice was wrong to outsource probation
The Ministry of Justice must address fundamental problems in the outsourcing of probation, or bring the services back in house.
Seaborne ferry fiasco reflects wider problems in government outsourcing
The Seaborne Freight cancellation has captured headlines, but the problems with government contracting go much wider.
Government procurement
One third of government’s spending is with contractors: last year, four departments spent more than half their budgets with external suppliers.
Interserve shows government must do more than manage the crisis
The government should fix the problems that are causing companies to run into trouble in the first place.