§ Mr. IngramTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what annual savings targets have been set for the newly appointed central procurement officer for the research councils. [3691]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorThe procurement adviser has been set a number of key objectives for his first year, including an impact on the procurement bill. During the first three calendar months he will assess the current state of procurement practices and performance within the232W councils and that basis will propose targets and define the parameters for savings taking account of both purchase price and where applicable life-cycle cost.