Recommendation 27

In May 2021, the government published the Boardman review into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic. It aimed to understand what lessons the government could learn from the procurement of PPE, ventilators, vaccines, test and trace and food parcels for the clinically extremely vulnerable to be better equipped to meet any future similar challenge. It made 28 recommendations across five broad themes of preparedness and strategy, organisational structures, resourcing, purchasing, and governance and regulation.57 The Cabinet Office wrote to us in May and informed us that the Prime Minister had agreed to accept all of the review’s recommendations.58 The Cabinet Office acknowledged that it needed to strengthen its risk management capability and to improve its ability to monitor risks that affect multiple departments and told us that it was developing a plan to make the risk management function “a very strong profession across Government as a whole, with additional expertise, capabilities, training and accreditation”.59 It had also introduced a quarterly review of the risks that can affect the performance or reputation of the civil service as a whole, as part of the work of the Civil Service Board. In their letter to us after our evidence session, the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury told us that the Risk Management Centre of Excellence, which is part of the Government Finance Function, had produced guidance on managing risks during the COVID-19 response and recovery; had worked with the commercial, grant and counter- fraud functions to embed risk management and control within their guidance; and had published guidance on risk appetite, which was currently being refreshed. They also stated that enhanced requirements for identifying and managing risks had been embedded within the Spending Review, upcoming Outcome Delivery Plans, and disclosures in annual reports and accounts.60 54 Qq 40–41 55 C&AG’s Report, para 9 56 Qq 20, 32 57 Boardman Review of Government Pr