Cabinet Office sets deadlines for procurement targets, mutuals support

The Government expects by March 2013 to be delivering all but the most complex procurements within 120 working days, an updated Business Plan for the Cabinet Office has said.

The Business Plan, released last month, also said that by the same deadline the Government would have implemented and be operating its SMEs programme.

This involves working with other Government departments to deliver on the aim that 25% of contract value is awarded to SMEs.

A programme of publishing sectoral pipelines every six months is meanwhile expected to be fully in place by October 2012.

The Cabinet Office Business Plan also set out a number of scheduled end dates for other key projects. These include:

  • Completion of the call for evidence on the value of legislating for a ‘right’ to choice, as proposed in the Open Public Services White Paper: June 2012;
  • Development and publication of a ‘forward look’ of emerging public service mutuals across England: July 2012;
  • Publication of a report on the work of the Mutuals Taskforce, the first annual report on the wider mutuals programme and a ‘one-year on’ report: October 2013;
  • Publication of the first quarterly report on the number of fledgling mutuals provided with support and/or advice: June 2012;
  • Publication of the report of the Independent Review of barriers to choice: December 2012. The government’s response to its recommendations will be published by March 2013;
  • Publication of proposals to extend payment by results into new public service areas: March 2013;
  • Publication of a Right to Data White Paper “containing proposals to improve customer insight and user participation, data sharing, new information markets and the creation of a ‘right’ to data and a presumption in favour of publication": June 2012;
  • Amendment of the Freedom of Information Code of Practice as required by new legislation to extend the ‘right to data’ to public authorities: December 2012;
  • Publication of Lord Hodgson’s review of red tape on charities: June 2012;
  • Implementation of a new legal form for charities (charitable incorporated organisations): October 2012;
  • Publication of the Charities Act 2006 Review report: November 2012;
  • Launch of Regulatory Barriers to Social Investment sub-theme on Red Tape Challenge website: July 2012.

The Cabinet Office Business Plan was published alongside those for other Government departments.

Minister for Government Policy, Oliver Letwin said: “We have taken some radical steps in the last twelve months to transform our public services, tailoring services around the needs of the user rather than expecting everyone to accept an expensive one size fits all solution. 

"It is vital that we carry on this work, making sure that in every area we are improving services and devolving power. The updated Business Plans set out our ambitions clearly."