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Commissioning

Government has commissioned many public services from commercial, charity or other public sector organisations as a way to meet the growing need for services, especially when budgets are getting smaller. This commissioning is happening in many sectors – especially health, local government, welfare, education, culture, media and sport, defence and justice. Successful commissions can result in more productive and efficient service delivery.

The growth in commissioning over recent years has created complex and long-term relationships. To ensure value for money, those organisations that are commissioning services must be clear about what they want to be delivered, they should have an open mind about solutions, be able to evaluate effectively and work well with the organisations delivering the service to ensure users' needs are met. They also need to know when and how to decommission services if they are no longer needed, or if needs, technology or approaches change.

Key NAO publications:

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Handshake

Case study on integration: Measuring the costs and benefits of Whole-Place Community Budgets

By operating in a more integrated way, government could reduce inefficiencies in public services and deliver a better service to citizens. A case study on the Whole-Place Community Budget pilots points to the potential benefits on offer where public services are integrated more effectively.

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Published:
13 Mar 2013
Whitehall and Westminster signposts

Government Commercial and Contracting: an overview of the NAO’s work

This overview of the NAO’s work on the government’s management of contracting examines subjects including the government’s commercial capability, accountability and transparency, and its management of contracted-out service delivery.

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Published:
12 May 2016
Nurse and patient

Investigation into the collapse of the UnitingCare Partnership contract in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

In December 2015 a five year contract, worth around £800 million between UnitingCare Partnership and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough clinical commissioning group collapsed after only 8 months because it ran into financial difficulties. NAO examined the design, procurement and operation of the contract and the events that led to its termination.

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Published:
14 Jul 2016