Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 22
71st Report - Government’s use of external consultants
Published 11 Mar 2026
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Government's use of external consultants All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The Cabinet Office told us that, for the first time, government is developing multi-year strategic workforce plans for the civil service. The Cabinet Office has directed departments to provide five-year forecasts outlining the skills and capacity required to develop their workforces, including those of arm’s-length bodies. The forecasts include both consultancy and contingent labour.44 The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told us that its strategic workforce plan is aligned with Cabinet Office guidance and aims to build key professional skills and capabilities. The workforce plan balances building core internal skills with selectively procuring external expertise when it offers better value for money. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told us that it works together with the Cabinet Office’s complex transactions team, which in some cases has replaced the need to use external consultants.45
From: Public Accounts Committee, 71st Report - Government’s use of external consultants (HC 1521), 11 March 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 1 June 2026 (deadline 11 May 2026).