Public Procurement: Value for Money

Answer from Julia Lopez

The overarching principle in all public procurement is to secure the best value for money for the taxpayer, and that principle lies at the heart of our plans in the procurement Green Paper. Simpler procurement procedures will drive increased competition and innovation in public procurement, ultimately saving taxpayers' money. We are also due to publish version 3 of the “The Outsourcing Playbook” in spring '21, which includes 11 key policies that help Government and industry to work better together to deliver quality public services and value for money, and our new approach to social value will help to secure wider public benefit.

Answer from Julia Lopez

I wish to assure the House that although there has been a lot of discussion about the high-priority lane, it was effectively an email inbox that triaged the thousands of suggestions that were coming in for particular contracts. Even if people got through that—90% of people from that process were rejected—the contracts then went through the same eight-stage process. I wish to assure him that there have been no corners cut.

Answer from Julia Lopez

I appreciate the concerns that have been raised about the use of consultants in relation to some of the work that has been done during the pandemic. We are doing various things to improve the capability and expertise of the civil service. We are looking at secondments for senior civil servants, and we are looking at having our own in-house consulting hub.

Answer from Julia Lopez

Our officials have regular conversations with key outsourcing providers and often have assurances on the work they undertake. I am happy to look into any concerns the hon. Gentleman has about the G4S merger, which I have not looked into personally, but I would be happy to do so.