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CBI responds to NAO report on Government contract management
The CBI responded to a National Audit Office report examining the contract management arrangements in the Ministry of Justice and Home Office.
Jim Bligh, CBI Head of Public Services policy, said:
"The NAO is right to highlight that the Government sometimes sees contract management as an afterthought, focusing too much on getting the deal signed and too little on what will happen when the ink dries.
"The Government has a sensible programme of commercial reform but progress is too slow. It needs to focus on quickly building up the skills and capabilities of the Civil Service to manage the growing complexity of contracts. And the Cabinet Office must have the necessary levers at its disposal to make sure that Whitehall departments adopt new ways of working.
"The industry recognises that it also needs to act differently. Wider use of open book accounting would make sure that the Government has better access to financial information about its contracts with the private sector, and improve accountability for the taxpayer."
