§ 57. Mr. Beggsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in introducing greater competition to defence procurement; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ButlerProvisional figures indicate that during the 1984 calendar year, over 40 per cent. by value of new headquarters contracts were placed following effective competition between two or more firms. When the value of contract amendments, which comprise a considerable proportion by value of our procurement expenditure, is also taken into account, we would expect the annual figures for the financial year 1984–85 to show a welcome increase of 4 to 5 percentage points over the figures for 1983–84, when 22 per cent. by value of contracts and amendments were placed following effective competition.