A government select committee meeting to discuss local government procurement heard from leaders and experts in the fields of procurement and outsourcing, who advised on how the public sector should look to develop contracts and procurement services in the future.

The committee heard from Kerry Hallard, chief executive officer at the National Outsourcing Association, who detailed how contract maturity and experience was now allowing public services to effectively employ outsourced services potential, and identify the risk and benefits. She said that a increase in skills and experience allowed the public sector: "to walk away when they think outsourcing is the not the right solution and they are not just rushing in, in some sort of goldrush."

Peter Challis, national officer at Unison, the UK’s largest trade union,said: “Local authorities need to review the services they are providing and see whether efficiencies can be secured; they need to benchmark that against the competition and then, if there is a gap, there should be a competitive exercise”, adding that, “local authorities need to undertake regular service tests.

Prime Minister acknowledges public sectors shortcomings when outsourcing