Category Archives: outsourcing

Prompt payments matter

Successive governments have implored the public sector to ensure that they pay suppliers – especially smaller companies, charities and social enterprises – promptly. However, almost daily there are reports of such suppliers not being paid in accordance with government guidance or contract conditions. Delays can be many weeks and sometimes months. These delays have serious… Read More...

When outsourcing it’s vital to assess the full costs – not simply contract price

All too often public sector leaders and managers consider outsourcing public services because they believe it will save money. This can be tempting given the horrendous impact of austerity-driven cuts and budget constraints. With outsourcing as with many other temptations, it is always wise to consider the full implications of the offer before taking a… Read More...

A responsible government would pause and review outsourcing – and ideally stop it

Only a matter of a few months after the collapse of Carillion and the resultant mayhem and following a sleuth of public service outsourcing failure, the Cabinet Office Minister, David Lidington, has announced that the Government will press ahead with more outsourcing. This is another example of government ignoring evidence and indeed not even trying… Read More...

Ethical change is long overdue

p021_PF_June18_opinion-outsource copy

Councillors must be contract aware – outsourcing is political Monday June 4th,

Most local authorities of all political persuasions currently outsource some of their services to the private sector. Some outsource more than others. Increasingly, authorities are bringing outsourced services back in-house – ‘in-sourcing’ as it is called. Such in-sourcing is being pursued by council leaders from all the major parties. There are many reasons why local… Read More...

Carillion shows us why public service providers must act ethically

The Committee of Standards in Public Life has made a timely intervention in the outsourcing debate. Its recommendations should be implemented without delay, says John Tizard. The Committee for Standards in Public Life recently suggested public service providers meet the same ethical standards expected of the public sector itself. Specifically, it recommends that: All public… Read More...

The contracting conundrum

The dawning realisation that public service contracting has had its day can only grow after 3 May. As new councillors settle in and town halls change political colour, they will further question the shibboleths of the post-1980 era of ‘new public management’ – especially the belief that outsourcing major services out to companies is necessarily… Read More...

Local authority officers – be ahead of the curve and advise politicians on how to move on from outsourcing

Local government is increasingly questioning the wisdom and efficacy of traditional outsourcing of services to the business sector. Politicians and their senior officers are aware of a raft of high-profile outsourcing failures, and what is more the public is increasingly aware of these. Labour, Conservative and councils with no overall political control are taking services… Read More...

Why ‘insourcing’ should always be considered

Councils are increasingly looking to ‘in-house’ services that previously been outsourced. Finance directors intending to do this need better information about contracts, say David Walker and John Tizard. Finance professionals across the public sector are increasingly alert to the need to rethink outsourcing. Conservative as well as Labour councils are ‘in-housing’ services previously tendered to… Read More...

Rebranding will not solve the problems of public service outsourcing

Outsourcing needs more than a refresh and rebrand, argues John Tizard. A pause to collect some evidence is urgently required. It is interesting but not surprising that the public service outsourcing industry is calling for the industry to fight back against the political and public concern of the policy and practice of outsourcing public services.… Read More...