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  2. Purchasing Professional Services

    Report Value for money

    Published on:

    How government departments can get better value for money from the £600 million they spend each year on professional services from suppliers of specialist expertise advice and assistance is highlighted today in a National Audit Office report. It concludes that value for money improvements of at least 10 per cent (£60 million) are achievable.   […]

  3. E20: renewing the EastEnders set

    Press release

    Published on:

    This report examines whether the BBC has managed E20 in a way that is likely to achieve value for money.

  4. Community Legal Service: the introduction of contracting

    Report Value for money

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    The introduction of new arrangements in 2000 for the funding of civil legal aid has led to better scrutiny by the Legal Services Commission of the work of its suppliers and a greater degree of control over the civil legal aid budget, according to Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office. As the […]

  5. Early Years: Progress in Developing High Quality Childcare and Early Education Accessible to All

    Report Value for money

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    Nearly 100,000 new childcare places have been created for pre-school children since 1998 and the Government is on course to meet its targets for the provision of free part-time early education for three- and four-year-olds. But Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that more needs to be done to ensure […]

  7. The PFI Contract for the redevelopment of West Middlesex University Hospital

    Report Value for money

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    The redevelopment of the West Middlesex hospital should assist the NHS in delivering modern, high quality healthcare in London, Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office reported to Parliament today. As a result of letting a 35 year PFI contract with a net present value of £125 million to the Bywest consortium, the […]

  8. Department of Education and Skills – Connexions Service for all Young People

    Report Value for money

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    Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn today reported on the Connexions Service, concluding that it is a radical change in the delivery of advice and guidance to young people and is on target to meeting its major objective of reducing the proportion of 16- to 18-year olds not in education, employment or […]

  9. PPP in practice: National Savings and Investments’ deal with Siemens Business Services, four years on

    Report Value for money

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    The PPP deal between National Savings and Investments (NS&I) and Siemens Business Services has improved customer service and has contributed to savings for the taxpayer, Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today. However, Siemens Business Services and NS&I underestimated the challenge involved. Siemens Business Services has encountered a number of problems […]

  11. The Operational Performance of PFI Prisons

    Report Value for money

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that the seven operational PFI prisons are bringing benefits to the Prison Service. One of the key benefits is that the existence of PFI prisons has encouraged the public sector to improve its performance. For instance, Prison Service management teams have recently […]

  12. Ministry of Defence: Non-Competitive Procurement in the Ministry of Defence

    Report Value for money

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    Competition helps provide value for money and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses non-competitive procurement only where there are compelling reasons. It may not always be practicable or sensible to use competitive procurement, however, and over the last five years one quarter of the annual £9 billion defence equipment and services budget has been spent […]

  13. The Radiocommunications Agency’s Joint Venture With CMG

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that the Radiocommunications Agency* has successfully entered into a partnership with CMG plc**, a global Information and Communications Technology group, which could result in significant financial savings. In June 1998 the Agency and CMG plc established a joint venture company, Radio Spectrum […]

  14. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: progress with reducing risk at Sellafield

    Press release

    Published on:

    This report examines the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s role, its governance, and the complex challenges it faces in delivering its long-term mission; progress with reducing high hazard and risk at Sellafield, and limitations to faster progress; and the NDA and Sellafield Limited’s plans to ensure sustainable progress at Sellafield.

  16. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions: The Channel Tunnel Rail Link

    Report Value for money

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    Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that although the Private Finance Initiative deal for the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link was in many respects unique, the lessons to be learned from the project’s near collapse are not. The report makes three key points. In negotiating with the […]

  17. Innovation in PFI Financing: The Treasury Building Project

    Report Value for money

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    Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the funding competition used to finance the refurbishment of the Treasury building in Whitehall saved the taxpayer £13 million. The competition resulted in savings of 7% of the cost of the deal over the lifetime of the project and assisted greatly in […]

  18. The Financial Analysis for the London Underground Public Private Partnerships 

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that the financial analysis* carried out for the London Underground Public Private Partnerships cannot, on its own, be expected to show clearly which public or private sector option for managing and funding the Tube will provide better value for money. Sir John […]

  19. Ofsted’s inspection of schools

    Press release

    Published on:

    This report examines whether Ofsted’s approach to inspecting schools is providing value for money. We assessed Ofsted’s role, performance and impact.

  20. The English National Stadium Project at Wembley

    Report Value for money

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    The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s decision to provide additional public funding for the English national stadium project at Wembley is an example of well managed risk taking, Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office said today. The Department, working closely with Sport England, has thoroughly reviewed the project and taken appropriate […]