HC Deb 19 April 2004 vol 420 c25W
Mr. Evans

To 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 Primarolo

OGC 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:

  1. Value for Money improvements in Central Civil Government
  2. Customer satisfaction
  3. Return on capital employed
  4. 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.