Recommendation 18

We also asked the Cabinet Office about the Government Consulting Hub and its usefulness before it was closed. The Cabinet Office said that the Hub was open just under two years and demonstrated that it was possible to provide expert advice to departments in a cost-effective way. However, it was also difficult for a small organisation to compete with the knowledge and skills of large private sector consultancy firms. Given the limited time the GCH was functioning, its overall impact is difficult to assess. The Cabinet Office told us that some of the services of the GCH have been transferred to other parts of Government, such as the advisory service provided by the Crown Commercial Service (Prosper).39