Forty per cent of outsourced services are delivered to the public sector, making BSA members a central part of the UK’s public services infrastructure. Managing prisons and probation services, building schools, maintaining social housing and providing cleaning and catering for hospitals are just some of the services our members deliver.

The BSA works hard to promote competition in our public services. While outsourcing is not the only way of getting better outcomes at a lower cost, it is an important one, with competition delivering savings of between 10 and 30 per cent with no adverse impact on quality – including when an in-house teams wins bids.

With the government promoting a greater role for charities, mutuals and social enterprises in public services, the BSA is working with its members to explore how the private sector can help form the partnerships that will make the coalition’s vision a reality.