Two government programmes aiming to help families with multiple challenges, such as unemployment and anti-social behaviour, are starting to provide benefits but considerable challenges remain.
The NAO’s good practice guide for managing the commercial lifecycle The government’s response to the COVID-19 global pandemic has drawn renewed, and possibly unprecedented, attention to public procurement and commercial practice in government. Our aim at the NAO is to provide an independent and evidence-based perspective, on how public authorities can achieve better outcomes and value […]
This page is part of our decision support tool. Under procurement [Footnote 1] Above a certain financial threshold, there must, except in certain specified circumstances, be a competition between potential providers [Footnote 2]. Indeed, even for contracts below the threshold values set by public procurement regulations, some form of advertising or open competition is often […]
Devolution deals to devolve power from central government to local areas in England offer opportunities to stimulate economic growth and reform public services for local users, but the arrangements are untested and government could do more to provide confidence that these deals will achieve the benefits intended
This page is part of our successful commissioning toolkit. If you have decided to use grant as the basis for a financial relationship, you then have the further option of choosing to use a particular type of grant, known as ‘grant-in-aid’ (in central government) or ‘strategic grant’ (especially in local government and the NHS). The key […]
This report establishes the facts on how the government has provided accommodation for rough sleepers during COVID-19.
This report looks at how effectively government met the needs of clinically extremely vulnerable through the shielding programme.
This page is part of our successful commissioning toolkit. Using grant While grant making is less regulated than procurement, there remain important rules you need to follow if you choose this approach as the basis for a financial relationship. Elsewhere, we discuss the need for a power to pay a grant, and for the need to […]
Amyas Morse, the Comptroller and Auditor General, has qualified his audit opinion in respect of two years of financial statements for Firebuy Ltd, covering 2010-11 and the short period in 2011-12 up to the closure of the company in July 2011.
This report provides a summary of the UK government’s response to COVID-19 to date.
This report looks at how much government departments spent on their activities preparing for the UK’s exit from the EU.
The Whole of Government Accounts consolidates the accounts of over 7,000 bodies across the public sector, including central and local government and public corporations such as the Bank of England, to produce an accounts-based picture of the UK’s public finances.
This study examines the government’s support for bus services and whether enablers to improve bus services are in place.
The NAO believes a review of the New Homes Bonus scheme is essential to ensure the Department understands the substantial financial risks to local authorities.
Better access to public information can improve accountability and service delivery. Government needs a firm grasp of whether that potential is being realised.
This page is part of our decommissioning toolkit. How to decommission public services delivered by third sector organisations and maintain value for money Introduction The Decommissioning guide seeks to provide practical advice on how to plan for and manage the decommissioning of public services delivered by third sector organisations (TSOs) and maintain value for money while doing […]
The Whole of Government Accounts (WGA) are an audited set of accounts showing in one place the financial position of the whole public sector. However, the NAO considers that the picture is incomplete.
This ‘think piece’ draws on our past work highlighting the barriers that prevent health and social care services working together effectively, examples of joint working and the move towards services centred on the needs of the individual, to inform the ongoing debate about the future of health and social care in England.
This page is part of our successful commissioning toolkit. There are many models of the commissioning cycle but all share some common features and all include, in some form or another, a stage where the needs of the population you serve are assessed. Assessing needs may form part of a higher-level process called ‘analyse’ or ‘strategic […]
The Programme launch has been successful, however key risks remain such as the planned delivery of new homes towards the end of the programme period.