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The CBI responded to a National Audit Office (NAO) 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.1

“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.

“As this report highlights, the Government Procurement Service should strive to engage early with providers and develop its commercial expertise further to deliver the best outcomes for service users and the taxpayer.

"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.”

 Notes to Editors:

1 CBI Procurement Survey - /media/1830922/cbi_procurement_reform_report_12_november_2012.pdf