Category Archives: public sector

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...

We need to know who the public sector contracts with and how they perform

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has told the Government that it needs to better understand the number of contracts held across departments by a single private company, and how it is performing in those contracts. This comes after the Committee considered the failure of the largest commercial further education (FE) provider, ‘learndirect’.… Read More...

Pip And ESA Assessments Are Failing And It Is Time To Assess All Public Service Outsourcing

The report from the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee on the operation of the outsourced PIP and ESA assessments is yet another significant blow public service outsourcing. Though in reality, these blows are being inflicted not by the Select Committee but by poor contractual arrangements, poor contractor performance and, as in the… Read More...

John Tizard: The Outsourcing Debate: strategic ‘make or buy’ decisions can protect the public interest

The efficacy and even the ethics of public service outsourcing are being seriously questioned across the political divide but especially by the left. Similar deliberations are going on amongst public sector executives. And it would be no surprise to learn that investors, staff and executives in major outsourcing companies are wondering if this business model… Read More...

John Tizard and David Walker: Time to stop the ‘love-in’ with public service outsourcing

In a new Smith Institute report, Out of contract: Time to move on from the ‘love in’ with outsourcing and PFI, we are calling for an immediate pause in all public service contracting followed by a root-and-branch review of all existing deals. David Walker This report, published on 22 January. comes in the wake of… Read More...

Carillion: Companies can go bust, councils cannot

Carillion has crashed; it’s winter for social care provider Four Seasons. The National Audit Office, using polite accountant speak, has condemned PFI as a giant scam and, implicitly, convicted HM Treasury of gross negligence. For the first time in the 30-year advance of outsourcing in public services, a principal political party is now officially opposed.So… Read More...

Let’s shed some light on public sector contracting

Carillion’s collapse shows public sector outsourcing is risky and limited. It’s time for a rethink and greater scrutiny and transparency, argue John Tizard and David Walker. If last year the charred stump of Grenfell Tower symbolised the failure of arm’s length management of public services, then the collapse of Carillion shows the limits of the… Read More...

Use dormant funds for systemic local change

Last week the government announced – or was it re-announced? – that it was unlocking £330m from dormant accounts, with the Big Lottery Fund and Big Society Capital distributing cash to initiatives tackling many social challenges. It announced that these funds would address a range of issues including the housing of vulnerable people, helping disadvantaged… Read More...