Whole-life costing survey

24/10/08

During the recent Costing the Future conference a number of delegates were invited to consider a range of key themes with regard to the state of whole-life costing in the public sector. Please find below a summary of their answers.

To What extent is whole-life costing meaningfully applied in public sector procurement?
- A common theme amongst respondents answers was that there is considerable inconsistency in the public sectors approach to whole-life costing
- Over 75% of respondents felt there was definitely room for improvement
What policy and budgetary barriers are there to the successful implementation of whole life costing in public sector procurement.?
- Over two thirds of respondents commented that an excessive focus on capital costs and capital savings has led to a short-termist approach to procurement in the public sector
To what extent does the Treasury Green Book provide sufficient guidance on whole-life costing?
- All respondents felt that Treasury guidance is insufficient and a number were unaware of the existence of the Green Book
What role can standards play in driving good procurement?
- Common themes in response to this question were:
  - They provide a benchmark
  - They level the playing field
  - They provide a common language
  - They need to be enforced to be effective
To what extent have the Treasury and the CESP fully addressed the issues of sustainable procurement, in particular the issue of spend to save?
- None of the respondents felt that the Treasury or the CESP had fully addressed the issue of spend to save

Groups:

Westminster Sustainable Business Forum

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