Improving the Efficiency of Postal Services Procurement in the Public Sector
Improving the Efficiency of Postal Services Procurement in the Public Sector

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-03-24

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 0102937303

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All public sector organisations rely to varying degrees on postal services, costing nearly £650 million annually of which £250 million is spent by central government departments. The two biggest spenders are the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs which account for over half this amount, with ten organisations accounting for 95 per cent of the total. Despite the growth in the use of internet and email, at least for the foreseeable future conventional mail will remain essential to the way public bodies communicate with the public. This NAO report examines how public sector organisations can become more effective in their procurement and management of postal services, and identifies six main areas where further improvements can be made in order to realise an estimated £31 million a year in savings by 2008-09. Two accompanying documents are available separately: case studies which examine the use of postal services in five organisations (HCP 946-II, ISBN 0102937354); and a guide which sets out examples of good practice across public and private sectors (HCP 946-III, ISBN 0102937362).

Smarter Food Procurement in the Public Sector
Smarter Food Procurement in the Public Sector

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-03-30

Total Pages: 64

ISBN-13: 0102937427

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The public sector in England spends around £2 billion per year on food and catering services, including in schools, hospitals and armed forces bases. This NAO report examines how public sector organisations can improve their food procurement practices in order to reduce costs whilst maintaining the quality of meals provided. The report finds that the public sector could achieve efficiency gains of £224 million by 2010-11, with significant scope for improvement in relation to: developing market knowledge and buying practices; employing joint procurement to increase purchasing power; establishing greater transparency in contract caterers' charges; promoting the professional development of catering staff in the public sector; reducing costs and environmental impacts through efficient operational practices; and increasing the take up of meals and income generated by them. Two accompanying documents are available separately: Case studies (HCP 963-II, ISBN 0102937435) and a Good practice guide (HCP 963-III, ISBN 0102937443).

Public Sector Auditing
Public Sector Auditing

Author: Sir John Bourn

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2008-07-31

Total Pages: 426

ISBN-13: 9780470725344

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Drawing on 20 years of experience as Comptroller and Auditor General, and head of the United Kingdom National Audit Office, Public Sector Auditing: Is it Value for Money? is Sir John Bourn’s own account of the role and influence value for money auditing has in holding governments to account and in helping public bodies improve the ways in which they deliver services. Key features include: In-depth case studies from UK, US, Canada, China, India and Australia; Detailed analysis of complex areas of public expenditure such as health, education, privatisation, regulation, defence and IT; Examples of how auditing can promote positive outcomes rather than negative post mortems. This book is relevant for people working in both the public and private sectors, and should be essential reading for the staff of public sector audit institutions around the world, as well as commercial accountancy firms and students of accountancy, politics, economics and public management.

Re-opening the Post
Re-opening the Post

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-03-22

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13: 0102937281

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In March 2001, the Government set up the Postal Services Commission (Postcomm) to regulate the postal services market in the UK, in order to ensure the provision of a universal postal service and to promote effective competition and safeguard the interests of customers. Following on from an earlier NAO report (HCP 521, session 2001-02 (ISBN 0102913595) published in January 2002, this report examines developments in regulating the quality of service, focusing on the issue of price setting. The report finds that Postcomm has put in place service quality targets to protect the customer, and Royal Mail's performance against its targets has been improving since regulation was introduced. A number of recommendations are made to help improve the quality of service regime, including i) developing the information systems needed to provide a validation system for universal service failure reporting and to monitor collection and delivery times; and ii) monitoring the development of competition in the postal sector.

The Management of Staff Sickness Absence in the National Probation Service
The Management of Staff Sickness Absence in the National Probation Service

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-04-26

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 010293763X

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This NAO report examines sick leave in the National Probation Service, which was running at 12.3 days per person in the 2004-05 period at a cost of £31.6 million. A number of recommendations have been set out as follows. That the National Probation Directorate should agree with the Chief Probation Officer a consistent minimum standard for collecting and reporting sickness absence data in their areas. This in turn could be used to produce comparative analyses, and offer a basis to diagnose the causes of sickness absence. An upgrade in some areas of their information technology systems should occur, so that better management information can be compiled. All probation areas should implement the mandatory elements of the national policy on sickness absence. All Chief Officers should review their action plans for reducing sickness absence. Sickness absence should be managed effectively but sympathetically, by including return to work interviews, along with a means of distinguishing between avoidable and unavoidable sickness absences, and addressing the culture of absenteeism. Long term sickness absence should be reviewed as a matter of urgency. Policies relating to work/life balance should be implemented nationally.

Improving the Efficiency of Postal Services Procurement in the Public Sector
Improving the Efficiency of Postal Services Procurement in the Public Sector

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-03-24

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 0102937354

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This NAO report contains case studies which examine the use of postal services in five organisations, relating to two large government departments (HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions), two executive agencies (National Savings and Investments and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency), and a private sector financial services organisation (the RBS Group, which covers brands such as the Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest Bank, Coutts, Direct Line and Tesco Personal Finance). Two accompanying documents are available separately: the main report (HCP 946-I, ISBN 0102937303) which examines how public sector organisations can become more effective in their procurement and management of postal services; and guidance which sets out examples of good practice across public and private sectors (HCP 946-III, ISBN 0102937362).

The Creation of Ofcom
The Creation of Ofcom

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-07-05

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 9780102939125

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Ofcom = Office of Communications.

Child Support Agency - Implementation of the Child Support Reforms
Child Support Agency - Implementation of the Child Support Reforms

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-06-30

Total Pages: 92

ISBN-13: 9780102938692

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A new system for child support was introduced for new cases and those with links to new cases from 3 March 2003. There were new rules for child support and a simplified calculation of maintenance. In addition the Child Support Agency underwent substantial restructuring and introduced a new IT system. This was necessary because the Agency had been previously missing its targets, suffered from a large backlog of unprocessed cases and there was a low level of compliance from non-resident parents. However there have been problems implementing the reforms. This report provides an assessment of: what caused the problems; the impact on the quality of service provided to the customers; and actions taken by the Agency in response to the problems and the lessons learnt.

Working with Non-governmental and Other Civil Society Organisations to Promote Development
Working with Non-governmental and Other Civil Society Organisations to Promote Development

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-07-06

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13: 9780102939156

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The term Civil Society covers aspects of society independent of the state and the private sector. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are bodies organised around shared interests and values and include NGOs, trade unions, faith groups and business associations. Since 1997 the Department fro International Development (DFID) has increasingly worked with CSOs to help to reduce world poverty. This report looks at DFID's view of the role of CSOs in international development; how it engages with CSOs; and the achievements of CSOs in reducing poverty. It is based on visits to 4 countries, 19 projects, a file review of 40 projects and Partnership Programme Agreements; and the response of 90 CSOs.

Fines Collection
Fines Collection

Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-05-25

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 0102938016

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Fines are the most common sentence imposed by Magistrates' courts in England and Wales, covering a range of crimes including motoring offences, drug offences, criminal damage and TV licence evasion. In the year 2004-05, penalties totalling £352 million were imposed, with £75 million cancelled and £222 million collected. Following on from an earlier report (HCP 672, session 2001-02, ISBN 0102914508) published in 2002, the NAO has examined whether the changes made in practices and procedures have resulted in improvements to the enforcement and collections of fines. It is estimated that a 25 per cent reduction in the number of legally cancelled fines would result in potential savings of £6.9 million per year and prompter payment of fines would yield further annual savings of almost one million pounds. Although a series of measures have been introduced by the Department for Constitutional Affairs to improve the system, over two thirds of the cases examined required enforcement action before the offender made any payments. A number of recommendations for further improvements are made, including in relation to developing performance indicators; prompter collection of fines, including making payment facilities (including cash) available at each court; focusing staff resource allocation on the early stages of enforcement; and addressing IT problems caused by the delay of the Libra system