§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of(a) the effectiveness of introducing a specialist buying agency in the Office of Government Commerce and (b) whether better value can be obtained from smaller suppliers. [165516]
§ Dawn PrimaroloOGC buying solutions is an Executive Agency of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and operates as a trading fund. It was formed in 2001 by the amalgamation of CCTA, TBA and PACE.
It has ministerial targets based on the following four assessment areas:
- Value for Money improvements in Central Civil Government
- Customer satisfaction
- Return on capital employed
- Reduction in internal costs
For the three financial years since the Agency's inception all of these targets have either been achieved or exceeded.
In some circumstances a smaller supplier could provide better value, especially when the customer is looking for a solution that is flexible, responsive or innovative. Government is taking action to encourage public sector clients to consider the smaller supplier and to facilitate easier access for them.