Tag Archives: outsourcing

Vince’s IPPR speech

By Kirsten Johnson | Thu 7th June 2018 - 1:30 pm

Lib Dem leader Vince Cable MP was invited by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Commission on Economic Justice to speak this morning. You can watch the speech here, with Vince’s bit from 10:38 in.

The entire speech is a long-read for lunchtime, from the end of this blog, but here is an overview of what Vince is calling for when it comes to outsourcing public services, which has come under fire in recent months following the collapse of Carillion and the financial woes of Capita.

Vince’s five-point plan calls …

Posted in News | Also tagged Carillion, economic policy, ippr and public services | 4 Comments

Opinion: Can Local Government really cope with outsourcing?

By Nick Hollinghurst | Mon 15th June 2015 - 12:30 pm

View image | gettyimages.com

Council Officers have a strong public service ethos and some are excellent managers. But does their experience give them enough insight to negotiate outsourcing contracts? They have, after all, chosen a career pathway other than that of private sector business. They inevitably lack a deep understanding of the very different attitudes, styles and pressures of work and management in the private sector.

During the procurement process, these rather sheltered public servants are faced with slick teams of well-resourced professionals adept at putting on a good show and armed with as much carefully selected evidence as they need to demonstrate their company’s capability and good standing.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged Local government | 23 Comments

Opinion: Let’s Have John Lewis Public Services

By Tom Smith | Mon 26th March 2012 - 12:24 pm

One of the themes in the loosely constructed narrative the Liberal Democrats have deployed in recent months has been industrial democracy – in catchphrase terms the promotion of the John Lewis economy.

This presents a radical, if embryonic, approach to the private sphere and a unique contribution to the debate on how to rescue capitalism. Looking at how to adopt the themes of this approach to the public sector should be the next logical step. First, though, we have to resolve the …

Posted in Op-eds | 8 Comments