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Posts tagged: "Performance management"
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Posted on July 4, 2019 by Sandy Gordon
Since we first published our Framework to review programmes in 2017 there has been no let-up in NAO reports on major projects and programmes, most recently on Crossrail, the Emergency Services Network and the Stonehenge by-pass road. From the need to manage the risks of untried approaches to signs warning of unrealistic cost estimates, this blog highlights some of the themes emerging from our recent work on major programmes, which have been incorporated into our updated guidance.
more… Major programmes – what are we learning?Tagged: Civil service capability, Contract management, Forecasting, Good practice principles, Infrastructure, Investigations, Major projects, Performance management, Project management, Public sector reform, Risk management
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Posted on May 22, 2019 by Emma Willson
Billions of pounds of cost increase due to contractual change, delays introducing communication networks for our emergency services, potential strains on Army personnel – our recent reports illustrate the huge importance of getting contracts right, and what organisations need to do if they go wrong. They also reinforce the principles discussed in previous posts in our Contract insights series: the great value of information and the crucial need to act intelligently, get risk allocation right and take sufficient time to plan upfront for all scenarios. more… Getting contracts right and responding if they go wrongTagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Good practice principles, Major projects, Performance management, Project management, Public sector reform, Risk management
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Posted on October 1, 2018 by Iain Forrester
From the collapse of Carillion, to failures within Capita’s £1 billion worth of public contracts, recent NAO reports starkly reiterate the importance of information in managing contracts. As the Comptroller & Auditor General said in his post Risks, resources and government-supplier relationships, government ‘needs to assess the financial health and sustainability of its major contractors and use this information to protect the public interest’. Here we outline the crucial role of information throughout the commercial lifecycle. more… The power of information for contractsTagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Cross-government, Customer service, Good practice principles, Information management, Performance management, Risk management
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Posted on March 29, 2018 by Kate Mathers
How do you make complex departmental annual reports easily understandable? Do you clearly outline your goals and achievement of them? Is it easy for the public to understand your organisational risks and their management? Being clear, concise, honest and open in annual reports is a real skill. To inspire creativity and usability, our yearly guide to good practice in annual reports this year presents examples from both the public sector organisations we reviewed in the Building Public Trust Awards, and some of the private and third sector examples highlighted in other categories. more… Being honest: award-winning annual reportsTagged: Accountability, Audit, Business operations, Cross-government, Good practice principles, Information management, Performance management, Public finances, Reporting, Third sector
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Posted on January 23, 2018 by Peter Langham
For more than a decade, successive governments have increased the extent to which higher education functions as a market. With higher education student debts typically totalling £50,000, going to university is now one of the biggest financial decisions of a person’s life. Yet the decision is made with limited ability to know the value of the investment, and with less consumer protection than other complex products. Our recent report on The higher education market applied our Market Analytic Toolkit: for assessing public service markets and found students have insufficient help and advice, and institutions have little competitive pressure to provide best value. more… Is the market for higher education working?Tagged: Behaviour change, Customer service, Higher Education, International, Performance management, Public sector markets, Regulation & consumer protection, Young people
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Posted on July 7, 2017 by Lee Summerfield
MPs have queried the way grants are distributed; multiple programme changes have left many questioning aims and effectiveness; growing backlogs have raised issues about public service delivery; and failed contracts losing millions of pounds have implied serious mismanagement. Concerns raised by MPs, members of the public and our own staff as a result of their work often need the facts set out – clearly and quickly. They call for an NAO ‘Investigation’. more… NAO InvestigatesTagged: Accountability, Business operations, Contract management, International, Investigations, Local government, Performance management, Project management, Public finances
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Posted on June 29, 2017 by Andy Morrison
Do you pay all the tax you should? Chances are, this depends on your values, your familiarity with tax rules, opportunities for evasion, and your attitudes. These may be affected by how much help you get from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – and could potentially be influenced by how happy you are with HMRC’s service. In our recent report on The quality of service for personal taxpayers, we said we would work with HMRC to explore whether service quality affects tax revenues. The way we have done this is a great example of how the NAO can help to drive public service improvement. more… Can better service bring in more tax revenue? How the NAO is helping government investigateTagged: Behaviour change, Customer service, Impacts, Influencing, Information management, Performance management, Tax
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Posted on April 27, 2017 by Administrator
The NAO Blog must take a break in the period before the General Election. Meanwhile, we would like to highlight our interactive guide to Good practice from the ‘Excellence in Reporting’ in the Public Sector Award, sponsored by the NAO and part of the wider PwC-sponsored Building Public Trust in Corporate Reporting Awards. Kate Mathers, one of our Executive Leaders, sits on the judging panel for the public sector awards. We set out below the criteria for which we looked. Our publication provides examples of good practice from the 50 reports we reviewed. more… Excellence in Public Sector Reporting and the Election breakTagged: Accountability, Cross-government, Good practice principles, Impacts, Information management, International, Local government, Performance management, Public finances, Reporting
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Posted on April 7, 2017 by Emma Willson
When it comes to public sector contracts, running proper competitions simply isn’t enough. Government needs to act intelligently to take advantage of competition between potential suppliers, weighing up options and considering who carries the risks, and at what cost. Since launching Commercial and contract management – insights and emerging best practice we’ve reported on two contracts that shed further light on these issues. We explore the new insights from these reports in this blog-post, the latest in our series on key issues for contracts and commercial relationships. more… Intelligent contract competition and risk managementTagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Cross-government, Forecasting, Good practice principles, International, Local government, Performance management, Project management, Public finances, Risk management
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Posted on March 30, 2017 by Bob Shambler
Mark Felt’s exposure of the Watergate scandal brought down President Nixon; Julie Bailey’s campaign led to the investigation into the failings of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust; Sherron Watkins’ exposure of the Enron scandal led to wider questioning of US company accounting practices and contributed to new accounting and accountability laws. Whistleblowing plays a crucial role in transparency, provides a highly valuable early warning system for organisations and drives a wide range of improvements. Would you know how to whistleblow? Would you feel safe from reprisal? The NAO has put out a series of reports on whistleblowing, and I recently drew on these to share the UK’s experience of whistleblowing arrangements at a Mexican conference on international best practice. more… Whistleblowing good practiceTagged: Accountability, Amyas Morse, Cross-government, Local government, Performance management, Regulation & consumer protection, Whistleblowing
Major programmes – what are we learning?
Getting contracts right and responding if they go wrong
The power of information for contracts
Being honest: award-winning annual reports
Is the market for higher education working?
Can better service bring in more tax revenue? How the NAO is helping government investigate
Excellence in Public Sector Reporting and the Election break
Intelligent contract competition and risk management
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