Commenting on today’s TUC report What lessons can we learn from Carillion?, a BSA Spokesman said:
“We welcome the TUC’s contribution to the debate on the role of the private and voluntary sectors in delivering public services.
There is much the TUC says with which we agree.
The TUC draws from a report the BSA commissioned in support of its contention that new partnership approaches to commissioning and procurement should be adopted[1].
For example we agree there is need for much greater transparency, with contracts published online, accompanied of course by equivalent performance transparency when services are provided in-house.
We agree contracts should not be awarded on the basis of lowest cost, but rather wider value and social value.
We agree those providing public services should be protected, with no weakening of TUPE after the UK departs the EU. Those providing such services demonstrate a public service ethos irrespective of the sector they work for.
Above all we agree the public interest should always come first. The question of who provides a service should be on this basis.
This means deploying the expertise and resources of all sectors in a way that best suits the public interest. In turn that means government should encourage a vibrant, healthy and sustainable range of providers from the public, private and voluntary sectors. This includes fully involving smaller and medium sized companies and recognising the role charities have to play.
To this end the BSA wrote to Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington on 26th January with a range of policy suggestions[2]. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to take this agenda forward”.
[1] Written submission to PCAC Select Committee, Professor Gary Sturgess, March 2018, drawn from
https://www.bsa-org.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Just-Another-Paperclip-FINAL.pdf
[2] https://www.bsa-org.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/David-Lidington-Cabinet-Office-26.1.18.pdf