Transforming government’s contract management

Following the discovery of serious anomalies in the billing practices under the Ministry of Justice’s electronic monitoring contracts with G4S and Serco, government commissioned a series of reviews of contract management across departments. These found widespread, consistent and long-standing problems. As a result, the Cabinet Office requested all departments prepare contract management improvement plans. The … Show more

Following the discovery of serious anomalies in the billing practices under the Ministry of Justice’s electronic monitoring contracts with G4S and Serco, government commissioned a series of reviews of contract management across departments. These found widespread, consistent and long-standing problems. As a result, the Cabinet Office requested all departments prepare contract management improvement plans. The Committee is holding two hearings on this matter, the first examining contract management improvement plans in the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice and the second looking more widely at government’s response and the changes being led by the Cabinet Office and the new Crown Commercial Service Home Office and Ministry of Justice This inquiry will assess approaches to contract management in the Ministry of Justice and Home Office including: the responses to the recent internal reviews of contract management problems; governance and accountability arrangements; contract management capability and management information; and whether good practice is being actively identified and shared. It will scrutinise what went wrong with contract management in the two departments and their efforts to improve it; and examine what more the centre of government must do to help departments improve their contract management performance. Cabinet Office This inquiry will focus on contract management across the whole of government. It will identify lessons from the overbilling and corporate renewal episodes; examine commitments to tackle long-standing problems with contract management across government; and examine the role of the new Crown Commercial Service in supporting this agenda. Relevant information National Audit Office report: Transforming contract management: public order, justice and rights (PDF 442 KB) National Audit Office report: Transforming government's contract management - Central Finance and Treasury (PDF 933 KB) Chair's statement: transforming contract management Show less