Learning from recent NAO work

At the start of a new Parliament we want to draw attention to the substantial body of learning contained in the NAO’s work. This includes evidence of what works, as well as the root causes of failure. We have distilled some of the most important messages from our work on value for money and brought them together in this short publication.

Jump to downloads

We focused on those elements of public spending where we see most scope for improvement in efficiency and effectiveness. These are relevant to all parts of government and are intended to help maximise new programmes’ chances of success and avoid the repetition of past problems.

Opportunities

This publication summarises some of the key value for money issues. The first section looks at five of the biggest opportunities for spending public money more efficiently and effectively. These are:

  • major infrastructure projects
  • asset management
  • procurement
  • digital transformation
  • reducing fraud and error

Enablers of better productivity

The second section sets out our view of the key enablers of better productivity and how to harness them. The enablers are:

  • timely, robust data
  • innovation and evaluation
  • a sustainable approach to planning and spending
  • the leadership, skills and culture to succeed

Video series

Managing major infrastructure projects in a way that makes public money work harder

This is the first in our video series covering our insights on making public money work harder. We look at the importance of being clear about what a major project must achieve, being honest about uncertainties, and the need to deliver good and bad news to leaders.

Downloads

Publication details

Latest insights