Recommendation 13

The National Audit Office report sets out how the Department intends to adopt a centralised procurement for its gigabit programme, even though it considered the partnership approach that it used under the Superfast Programme to have been very successful. The report said that the knowledge and experience of local bodies had been critical to supporting delivery and overcoming obstacles during the superfast programme.31 The Department told us that although it intended to undertake the procurement directly under the future programme, it needs the continued involvement and expertise of Local Authorities and it is important to retain their skills and records of where and by whom broadband infrastructure has been installed with a public subsidy by participating in the Superfast Programme as outlined in paragraph 3.3 of the NAO report.32